Suffering from itchy eyes, runny nose or frequent sneezing? You are not alone – pollen season is well underway, with walks and outdoor gatherings that were earlier the highlights of the lockdown. As the country opens up, it’s becoming increasingly important to keep allergies under control, although experts say it’s important to first understand what type of allergy you have.
Andra Walsh is nurse director of the Allergy Clinic, which operates clinics in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford, and says allergy testing may be needed to establish whether your symptoms are due to dust mites, grass pollen or Trees are inspired by pollen, and find remedies to deal with them properly.
“Airborne allergens such as tree pollen or grass pollen are drivers of allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, and then perennial rhinitis is determined by dust mites. Taking antihistamines on an ad-hoc basis may not bring any benefit to the patient. We people How do you measure by quality of life,” she explains.
Depending on the type of allergy, there are products that can help relieve symptoms, soothe irritation, and help you sleep better. Here, we break down the top picks.
pollen allergy
Dr Iseult Sheehan from Allergy Ireland at the Sleepmore Clinic in Dublin advises that the first place to start is with the Nylamed Sinus Rinse (€19.99, pharmacies), which can be used once or twice a day. “Basically it’s a saline or saline rinse to rinse the nose and sinuses,” she says. “It will remove allergens such as pollen from the nose or from the nasal cavity, but it also clears out any excess mucus or phlegm that may be inside the nose, so it drains the sinuses. This is the most effective product you can buy. can, and it’s not expensive.”
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Nylamed Sinus Rinse (€19.99, pharmacies)
Next, she suggests equipping yourself with a pair of wraparound sunglasses, though she says any brand will do. “Wraparound sunglasses are wonderful at keeping pollen out.”
Dry, sore eyes can be especially uncomfortable during the summer months, but Dr. Sheehan suggests wearing a cooling eye mask before bedtime. “Cool compresses that you can pop in the freezer can be really good if your eyes are particularly swollen or irritated,” she says, noting that the pollen count will drop at night, so you don’t have to. One doesn’t need to be worn as a barrier to keep pollen out, though it can reduce irritation from the day.
Eye Doctor Essential Dry Eye Compress (€12.50, pharmacies) is a reusable mask filled with self-cooling beads that can be stored in the freezer before fastening around your head, for a more comfortable fit With an adjustable strap. You can massage the mask with light pressure, and it can be used up to 200 times, with the option of heating in the microwave, for added use if you suffer from dry eyes during the colder months.
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Eye Doctor Essential Dry Eye Compress (€12.50, pharmacies)
For both pollen and dust mite allergies, experts recommend a good quality air purifier. Joyce Clegg, managing director of the Allergy Clinic, named the Dimplex Four-Stage Air Purifier with HEPA Filtration (€139.95, down from €179.95 currently, Arnotts.ie) as the top choice in their clinics.
“We have looked at all the filters across the board, from the Irish market, and Dimplex are what we would recommend to our patients,” she explains. “What the Dimplex HEPA Filter will do for our dust mite allergy patients, our grass pollen allergy patients, and our animal dander allergy patients is it will remove the allergens from the bedroom. You plug in a Dimplex HEPA filter, and it’s in the room. Removes 99.9pc of allergens, so it creates a very healthy sleeping environment.”
Its compact build means the air purifier can be easily moved from room to room, and it will sit neatly on a bedside table or work desk. This comes in handy when working from home, as you can bring an air purifier to your home office during the day, although Joyce believes it would be most beneficial in the bedroom.
“You can plug it into any room, but the place a person needs to be cleanest is their sleeping environment, because this is when their lungs will fully rest, when we Will sleep,” she says.
allergy to dust mites
Along with air purifiers, you can allergy-proof your bedroom with anti-allergy bedding. Dust mites live in the mattress, and will rise at night and move into your airways when you are most relaxed. To prevent this, avoid bedding that will have a lot of dust mites, especially any bedding that uses feathers.
Joyce recommends a hypoallergenic option like the Emma mattress (from €449.99, Emma-Mattress.ie), which is made of memory foam and tightly sealed to prevent dust mites from accumulating in the material. “The mattress has anti-dust mite properties, and comes with a zippered, anti-dust mite medical grade mattress protector. Dust mites can’t get out of the mattress to get into your airways,” she says.
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Emma Mattress (from €499.99, Emma-Mattress.ie)
If you don’t want to invest in a new mattress, the brand also sells a standalone mattress protector (€99.99, Emma-Mattress.ie), although Dr. Sheehan believes that even the cheaper version can be very effective.
“I recommend hypoallergenic pillows, duvets, and mattress protectors. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money on this one, it works,” she says, adding that the Dunes store’s range is “absolutely luxurious,” which includes anti-aging. -Allergy pillow protector (€6 for two) included, duvet (from €30) and mattress protector (€10, from Dunes stores).
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Anti-allergy mattress protector (from €10, Dunes stores)
“Wash bedding at 60C once a week, and be especially careful with babies—they have teddies in bed too many times, so do the same with teddies, wash them weekly,” she advises. Huh.
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Anti-allergy pillow protector (€6, pack of two, Dunes stores)
“You can actually put the teddies in the freezer for an hour and it will kill any dust mites. This can be done during the week, because unfortunately you won’t find hypoallergenic teddies!”
