Instead, lift the nostril and insert the spray so that it is aimed toward the ear on the same side (you may find it easier to get the right angle using the opposite hand). It should only be about a quarter inch (6mm) inside. Then tilt your head forward slightly and spray. Try not to blow your nose after. This allows the medicine to go where it’s most effective and stay there – rather than being cleared out immediately.
7. …and eye drops
Many people put their heads back and try to drop the medicine right on top of their eye. This often backfires, with the liquid spilling out immediately (or not spreading across the eyes surface).
Instead, tilt your head to the side, then drop the medicine into the inner corner and blink, Scadding and Durham advise. This distributes it more evenly across the eye.
8. Reduce any triggers
Beyond medications, be mindful about your exposure to potential allergens. Keeping windows closed – even, unfortunately, at night – can help, as can wearing sunglasses or a mask when you go outside. It’s also important to wash well (ideally, taking a shower) when you come in from spending any time outside; otherwise, allergens like pollen cling to your hair and face, where they can not only continue to irritate you, but can transfer to your furniture and bedding, allergists say.
9. If you are still suffering, don’t delay seeking help
Many of us shrug off hay fever as just part of the springtime package. But this is unnecessary and, worse, can be harmful. Both short- and long-term, it affects our quality of life, respiratory system, sleep, and, in children, academic performance. “It gets dismissed frequently as, ‘Oh, it’s just a runny nose,'” says Barrie Cohen, a paediatric allergist in New Jersey, US and author of a 2023 review on allergic rhinitis in children. “But if you’re suffering, even for three months out of the year, that’s significant.”
If you are managing your symptoms properly and still find that you’re struggling, see your GP (family doctor). In some cases, it may not be hay fever at all, but asthma or another respiratory illness.
Even when it is hay fever, people might benefit from other treatments – such as allergen immunotherapy – that can help reduce even severe symptoms longer-term, so that they can finally enjoy the summer free of their usual suffering.
