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Whether you have respiratory allergies or not, the truth is that just a single bout can make your life quite uncomfortable. After all, that runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, and throat irritation are not pleasant to bear. Add to that the discomfort of the cold weather, and you’ve got trouble on your hands.
But what if we were to tell you that you can make your life easy by stopping allergy attacks to begin with? Yes, it’s possible! With a few lifestyle interventions you can manage your allergies and reduce flare-ups.
Did you know your curtains are a hotbed for allergens like dust mites? Yup! Dust mites can trigger allergic rhinitis. While you don’t need to wash your curtains weekly—a good vacuuming every 10 days can do the trick—you do need to launder them every season to ensure dust mites, toxins, and other allergens don’t make a home there.
Now, when it comes to your bedsheets and pillowcases—tossing them in the washing machine every week is the best thing you can do to keep allergens out. When in use for too long, bedding tends to accumulate dust mites and facilitates the growth of mould. And if you’re prone to allergies, that’s the last thing you want.
You don’t need to be a genius to know that wet environments are a great breeding place for mould and mildew. Both of these fungi can cause major respiratory allergies and even trigger asthma. The simplest way to keep this from happening is to keep areas like the bathroom (and the utilities in it) completely dry.
To achieve that, make sure: your bathroom has proper ventilation; dry your towels in the sun after every use; wipe the floors clean after bath, wash your mats every month and dry them properly; and wipe down the faucets and other fixtures to avoid a mould infestation.
That exhaust fan and chimney in your kitchen can go a long way in ensuring that the indoor air quality in your home can help you breathe easily. You see, cooking fumes can trigger allergic rhinitis and asthma too. And by keeping the exhaust fan running while you’re cooking, you can ensure that the fumes don’t take over your house and find their way to great big outdoors instead.
Now, if you are allergic to pollen then the best thing you can do is to stay indoors when the pollen count in the air outside is high. However, if that’s not a possibility for you and you must commute—then ensure that the windows of your vehicle are rolled up to keep the pollen out.
We don’t need to tell you just how horrible air pollution is for your health. But did you know that every time the AQI crosses 100, your risk of allergy flare-ups—especially asthma—increases? Yup! Which is why, it is crucial that you stay indoors when the AQI becomes poor to safeguard your respiratory health.
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Prevention of allergies is important, but so is seeking treatment
Ensuring that you are miles away from allergens can go a long way when it comes to management of allergies. However, getting timely treatment for them is also important.
When you let allergies go unattended, you leave the door open for serious respiratory repercussions like asthma, COPD, and even sleep apnea. Which is why it is terribly important to recognise allergy symptoms like runny nose, throat irritation, and sneezing and seek help from your medical practitioner.
So don’t ignore your allergies and follow these tips to breathe easy!
To know more about allergies and how to manage them, visit www.allergyfree.co.in
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