Know Your Risks And Prepare Ahead of Time

The trees are barely in leaf – and it’s unlikely you’ve needed to mow your lawn since last summer. But it’s already time to step up your prep for the 2020 hay fever season. Pollens are poised to attack – with the front runners, hazel and alder, airborne since February. We all know the symptoms – a blocked up sneezy nose and streaming eyes – but by recognising your risks, boosting your immunity, and getting ahead with key medicines, you could sail through summer sniffle free.

In theory we’re most at risk of hay fever in our teens and early twenties. After that, a lot of us grow out of it. But not everyone is so lucky, and – often because of something in your lifestyle – your symptoms may still be showing no signs of abating many decades later.

Menopause raises your risk of hay fever as membranes become thinner, drier and more easily penetrable by allergens. But stress also makes you more susceptible. And this is a particular problem for the so-called “sandwich generation” – those of us trying to keep multiple plates spinning while we look after young families as well as trying to cope with the problems of elderly relatives.

Moving to a new area with pollens you’ve never previously encountered could also trigger symptoms for the first time if you’re unknowingly allergic to them.

Diet plays a part too. You could be inadvertently putting yourself at risk if you’re no longer getting the full range of nutrients needed to sustain a strong immune system.

And, if your social life has shifted gear so you’re y drinking more alcohol than you used to, that can also increase your risk by weakening your immune system.