One out of five people is affected by hay fever at some point in their life.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollens in the air. It has symptoms similar to that of a cold, except it is more persistent and causes itchiness.

Depending on how bad your symptoms are, hay fever can be anything from inconvenient to miserable, causing many people to seek hay fever relief.

Here are five ways to decrease the severity of your hay fever symptoms.

1. Antihistamines

When you’re suffering from hay fever symptoms, using antihistamines is a good way to start searching for allergy relief.

Antihistamines come in the form of tablets, liquid, or nasal spray and typically only take around an hour to work. This is relatively quick compared to some of the other treatment methods, which is why it is recommended for mild hay fever symptoms that tend to come and go.

2. Nasal Sprays

Nasal sprays are possibly the most effective form of hay fever relief.

A nasal spray unblocks your nose and reduces sneezing, runniness, and swelling. Some nasal sprays even help reduce eye itchiness and irritation.

However, nasal sprays can take a long time to kick in.

It typically takes about two weeks for a nasal spray to come into effect, so if it turns out you are taking it wrong, you will not realize it until some time has passed.

Because of how long it takes nasal sprays to take effect, they are best taken a couple of weeks before your hay fever starts. This makes nasal sprays the most beneficial for people who can predict when they will get hay fever.

For the best allergy relief possible, you may want to consider using Herbal Nasal Spray, which uses Himalayan Salt and aloe vera to relieve inflammation and soothe the sinuses.

3. Eye Drops

Using eye drops can help soothe inflamed, itchy eyes caused by hay fever.

However, it may not be necessary to use eye drops if you use certain kinds of nasal sprays. You may want to talk to your doctor first if you are considering using nasal spray and eye drops to reduce your hay fever symptoms.

4. Natural Remedies

If you prefer more holistic treatment options, there are some natural allergy relief remedies you can try.

While there is no hard evidence to support the belief that honey reduces hay fever symptoms, there are many people who swear by it. Whether honey does or does not reduce hay fever symptoms, it is known to be good for soothing a sore throat and reducing coughing symptoms. If those are symptoms you experience with hay fever, you might want to give honey a try.

Another option for reducing hay fever symptoms is a saline wash. Saline washes unblock your nose, rinse out allergens, and reduce nasal passage swelling.

There is also some belief that fish oil may help protect against hay fever symptoms because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

5. Decrease Exposure to Pollen

There are a variety of steps you can take to minimize your exposure to pollen and decrease your allergy symptoms.

You can monitor pollen forecasts to take preventative measures, like keeping windows and doors closed when there is a high amount of pollen in the air.

If you go outside when there is a higher amount of pollen in the air, you may want to consider changing your clothes and taking a shower once you go back inside. This will prevent pollen from spreading inside your house.

You can also put Vaseline or a nasal allergen balm around your nostrils and wear wraparound sunglasses when you go outside. Doing so will help prevent pollen from getting into your nose and eyes.

Finding Hay Fever Relief

Hay fever can be annoying or even misery-inducing.

Using antihistamines, nasal sprays, and natural hay fever relief solutions can decrease the severity of your symptoms, especially if you plan ahead and prepare for when your hay fever symptoms may start to occur.

If you found these tips helpful, be sure to check out some more articles in our health section.