Met Office forecasts 'high' pollen count for Northern Ireland - how can I ease hay fever symptoms?

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Belfast News Letter, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. According to the Met Office , pollen levels are set to rise over the weekend and into next week. Pollen levels are set to be high in Northern Ireland on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Advertisement Advertisement Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, causing sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. sneezing and coughing a runny or blocked nose itchy, red or watery eyes itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears loss of smell pain around the sides of your head and your forehead headache feeling tired Symptoms are usually worse between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy - when the pollen count is at its highest. Unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks, hay fever can last for weeks or months.



There's currently no cure for hay fever and you cannot prevent it, but you can do things to ease symptoms when the pollen count is high. Advertisement Advertisement put petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) around your nostrils to trap pollen wear wraparound sunglasses, a mask or a wide-brimmed hat to stop pollen getting into your nose and eyes shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off keep windows and doors shut as much as possible vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth try to use a pollen filter in the air vents of your car, if you have one, and a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner cutting or walking on grass spending too much time outside keeping fresh flowers in the house smoking - it can make your symptoms worse drying clothes outside – they can catch pollen Advertisement Advertisement let pets come from outside, into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors The NHS advises speaking to a pharmacist if you have hay fever as they can help and suggest the best treatments to help with symptoms, like antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays, and steroid nasal sprays. Some antihistamines can make you sleepy, so speak to a pharmacist about non-drowsy antihistamines if you need to.

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