Hello everyone, Olivia here, today I'm going to chat to you about Hayfever and share some tips that might help you as we come in to the season. Now that the clocks have gone forward the summer is finally on its way. While we all love the sunshine and longer evenings, it can mean the most dreaded time of year for many people who suffer with Hayfever. However it can be made easier to live with by making some slight adjustments and taking on board some easy tips. Here are some of my top tips that I give customers asking for advice in our store:

1.Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Make sure that you know the symptoms for hayfever, the most common being itchy eyes, nose, skin, blocked and/or runny nose and watery eyes. However, there are other symptoms not as commonly associated with it such as headaches, earaches, tiredness, disrupted sleep and even a reduced sense of smell. The better you become at identifying your symptoms earlier and realizing what times of year are worse, the more effective treatments will be.

2. Watch the pollen count every few days.

During the summer months Met Eireann post daily pollen counts for each Provence in Ireland. If you suffer with Hayfever I would definitely recommend to keep up to date with pollen counts for your area.

3. Find the right treatment for your symptoms.

Call in and get expert advice from your pharmacist or healthcare professional. Call in to either of our stores to receive the best advice to treat your symptoms. Whether you need a nasal spray, eye drop, antihistamine tablet or all three, we're happy to help!

4. Be consistent with your treatment.

It's important to keep taking your treatment throughout the Hayfever season if recommended by a pharmacist. An antihistamine is safe to take daily, and by only taking treatments on your bad days is much less effective.

5. Take your showers at night time.

Many people who suffer with hayfever will spend time outside, allowing pollen to stick to clothes and hair. Be sure to take your showers at night rather than mornings during high pollen days outdoors to prevent night time allergy attacks. Wash your clothes on high pollen days if you've been outside, the longer you are in contact with pollen, the worse the reaction.

6. Stay indoors on high pollen count days.

If possible, try and remain indoors on very high pollen days (over 50), and keep windows and doors closed. I hope these helped, and if you have any questions you can send me an email on: olivia@foodyspharmacy.com Until next time, Olivia