Are you ready for pollen season? Check out these tips to combat summer allergies and feel your best all summer long.
What are allergies?
Allergies happen when your immune system identifies a substance (allergen) as harmful, even though it isn’t. Common summer allergens include pollen, animal dander and insect stings or bites.
Our reactions to allergens can vary from person to person. Sometimes, allergies cause mild symptoms like irritation, while others may experience more serious symptoms like anaphylaxis that require emergency medical attention.
The most common symptoms of summer allergies include:
- Sneezing
- Stuffy nose or congestion
- Runny nose (thin, clear discharge)
- Red, watery or swollen eyes
- Itchy eyes, ears, nose or mouth
- Mucus that runs down your throat
- Coughing
- Tenderness, irritation or swelling around the affected area (i.e., insect sting or bite)
- Painful or itchy rash (e.g., hives)
If you struggle with seasonal allergies, here are some tips that can help you manage your symptoms.
1. Reduce your exposure
While it’s impossible to avoid all allergens, you can take steps to reduce your exposure, which can help mitigate your symptoms.
Here are some ways to reduce your exposure to common summer allergens.
Pollen
- Check pollen forecasts and current pollen levels in your area (can be found in most weather apps)
- Close doors and windows when pollen levels are high
- Stay indoors on dry, windy days (rain can help clear pollen from the air)
- Avoid hanging laundry outside
- Promptly remove clothes that you’ve worn outside when you get home
- Shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair
- Wear gloves when gardening or handling plant materials
- Enjoy outdoor activities in the evening to avoid peak pollen counts (morning to mid-day)
Bug bites or stings
- Wear insect repellent
- Wear clothing that covers your skin like long sleeve shirts and pants
- Inspect your house for wasp and bee nests (often found in attics, pipes, vents, garages, sheds, under decking, etc.)
- Consider using a faux wasp nest to deter new inhabitants
- Avoid leaving food out, which can attract wasps and other insects
- Avoid spending time in areas with dense flowering plants that can attract bees and other insects
- Calmly walk away from buzzing insects instead of swatting at them
2. Try over-the-counter remedies
Reducing your exposure to allergens can help you reduce the frequency of reactions. However, it’s not foolproof and you’ll likely still experience allergies.
When taking over-the-counter medications, it’s important to plan ahead. Check forecasts to see when allergy seasons are expected to start. It’s often most helpful to start taking allergy medications about two weeks before the season (and before you start experiencing symptoms). Continue to take them regularly throughout the season. If you wait until symptoms start, it may take longer to find relief.
Here are a few over-the-counter remedies you can use to reduce and manage symptoms.
Nasal steroid sprays
Using nasal steroid sprays daily is the best option to treat allergy symptoms. Just keep in mind that these medications can take a few days to become effective. Medication options include:
- Flonase (fluticasone)
- Nasacort (triamcinolone)
- Rhinocort (budesonide)
Nasal and oral antihistamines
If steroid sprays don’t relieve all of your symptoms, you can add a nasal or non-drowsy oral antihistamine to your daily allergy routine.
Nasal options include:
- Astepro (azelastine)
- Patanase (olopatadine)
Oral options include:
- Zyrtec (cetirizine)
- Claritin (loratadine)
- Allegra (fexofenadine)
Most allergy medications last 24 hours, so you can take them at night to get a head start for the following day.
Eye drops
If eye irritation is your main concern, you can also use antihistamine eye drops to help soothe symptoms. Medication options include:
- Pataday or Patanol (olopatadine)
- Zaditor (ketotifen)
- Astelin (azelastine hydrochloride)
If you wear contact lenses, be sure to apply eye drops a few minutes before wearing your contact lenses.
Saline rinses
Rinsing out your sinuses can help physically remove pollen and other irritants from your nasal passages and sinuses. This can help relieve congestion, mucus and runny noses.
Options include:
- Netipot
- NeilMed
If you choose to use saline-based methods like NeilMed, be sure to use distilled water.
While these methods are effective for most people, it’s important to continue to monitor your symptoms. If you’ve tried all recommended treatments daily for at least one or two weeks without relief, or if you develop a fever, it’s time to visit your primary care provider for additional evaluations or testing.
3. Consider allergy testing
Allergy testing can help you diagnose your exact allergies and work with a healthcare provider to come up with a plan to relieve your symptoms. Allergy tests can be used for seasonal allergies as well as allergens related to foods, drug reactions, skin allergies and more.
These tests are performed at allergy clinics by applying potential allergens to your skin. Depending on how severe your reaction is, your doctor may recommend allergy shots to help reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Allergy shots are the most effective way to treat allergies and work better than prescription medications. A few allergy shots can give you long-term relief that can last for five to 10 years. However, many individuals experience relief for the rest of their lives.
While Wardenburg Health Center does not offer allergy testing, students can receive allergy shots through the Allergy Clinic at Wardenburg Health Center.
How much do allergy shots cost?
The cost of allergy shots can vary based on factors like how many allergens need to be treated and how frequently you need to be treated to control your symptoms. Shots are typically administered weekly but may be reduced over time to once per month.
Most insurance companies cover the cost of allergy shots. Depending on your plan, you may only need to pay a copay or coinsurance. Keep in mind that without insurance, allergy shots can cost between $2,000 and $4,000 yearly, so it’s best to check your plan’s coverage before scheduling an appointment.
If you have a CU health insurance plan, you can review your coverage online or through the Sydney Health app.
4. Reduce indoor allergens
Outdoor allergens aren’t the only culprit when it comes to allergy symptoms. In fact, many allergens like pollen, dander and other irritants can exist in our homes as well. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce and remove allergens from your home.
- Keep windows and doors closed to prevent allergens from blowing indoors.
- Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter.
- Remove your shoes when entering your home.
- Wipe down surfaces more often and wash linens (e.g., bedding, towels, blankets, etc.) regularly.
- Change clothes and consider taking a shower after outdoor activities (e.g., hiking, yard work, sports, etc.).
- Bathe pets more frequently to remove allergens they may carry inside.
- Dust blinds more often.
- Remove clutter around your home to reduce buildup of dust and other allergens like pollen.
- Vacuum carpets more often, which can trap and spread allergens.
- Use exhaust fans in bathrooms to reduce moisture, which can promote mold spores.
- Keep an eye out for bug nests like bee hives around your property (have them properly removed by professionals).
5. Connect with resources
If you need additional help managing or mitigating allergies, there are resources on campus that can help.
Allergy Clinic
Medical Services offers an allergy clinic to support students who have been receiving allergy shots. While the Allergy Clinic does not provide allergy testing, they can continue your treatment on campus based on your allergist’s care plan.
Available for: Students
Primary care
If your symptoms linger or you suspect you may have an illness instead of allergies, students can schedule a primary care visit to review their symptoms and get recommendations for treatment.
Available for: Students
Apothecary pharmacy
Visit the Apothecary at Wardenburg Health Center for all your over-the-counter allergy medication needs. Our full-service pharmacy is open to students, faculty, staff and the community.
Available for: Students, staff and faculty
CU employee health insurance
If you are currently enrolled in one of CU’s employee health insurance plans, you can review your benefits and get cost estimates for allergy testing and allergy shots through in-network providers.
Available for: Staff and faculty