Those who suffer from hay fever may say it affects their mood and can make them miserable, they may be right. There may be a link between seasonal allergies and depression. Although hay fever is not proven to cause depression it may contribute towards it and make you more vulnerable to it.
What is hay fever?
Hay fever also known as seasonal rhinitis. Hay fever is a type of allergy, it happens in response to certain allergies and can last for months. Allergies occur when your body sees foreign substances or allergens as harmful which it then attacks. It reacts to things like pollen from grass, weeds and trees. This causes reactions such as sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose etc. it is most common at particular times of the year during early spring and summer months. It affects adults as well as children. The most common allergen is grass pollen from May to July. Tree pollen is common February to June and weed pollen is common from June to September.
Symptoms
Hay fever commonly causes cold-like symptoms. Symptoms usually come after being exposed to allergens. Most people only get hay fever for a few months at a time because they are sensitive to seasonal allergies. Although some people can have it all year round. Some hay fever symptoms include,
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Blocked or runny nose
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Loss of smell
- Itchy mouth, throat, ears or nose
- Headache
- Pain on temples or forehead
- Feeling tired
- Earache
Those with asthma and hay fever may suffer from,
- Tight feeling in the chest
- Wheezing and coughing
- Shortness of breath
How can hay fever affect your mood?
Having hay fever can have a negative impact on your mood, this is because of the symptoms that come with it. Your immune system has been linked to depression, therefore if your immune system is affected so can your mental health. Certain symptoms can affect your mood, for example tiredness. Tiredness is caused by lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep. Due to the symptoms of hay fever like blocked nose and itchy eyes this can affect your sleep due to the uncomfortableness. If you’re tired it can make you lack motivation to be active and socialise as well as affecting your performance at work/school. This can lead to feeling low and affect your overall mood. If this persists over time it can have a big affect on your mental health possibly causing risk of depression.
The symptoms of hay fever can lead you to feel so down that you don’t want to be outside where it can trigger your symptoms. This can affect your social life as you spend more time indoors. Feeling like you can’t go out and enjoy the summer months as you don’t want to set off your hay fever. This means missing out on social events and not being able to go out and enjoy activities you normally enjoy doing. Often people with hay fever restrict themselves from the outdoors as the symptoms are just too much for them to cope with especially when it makes them feel so unwell. This can contribute to a low mood as you feel isolated and alone.
Some people find that their symptoms are embarrassing like sneezing or a runny nose. It can make you feel like you don’t want to go out in public and have to keep blowing your nose or sneezing constantly. These symptoms affect your daily life like going shopping or going to work. Symptoms of hay fever can make you feel run down and so unwell at times that you just want to stay indoors until you feel better again. Although it is a bit of a cycle as once you feel better and go outside it starts all over again.
What do you do if you feel hay fever is affecting your mood?
If you feel hay fever is having a negative affect on your mood you should seek help. Try talking to someone about how it is making you feel. Someone who cares about you will be able to give you some advice and allow them to be aware of how you are feeling. Seek medical advice if you feel you need it. You could see a GP and discuss your symptoms with them so they can help with ways to ease your symptoms. Easing your symptoms will make hay fever easier to cope with. If you feel it is making you depressed seek help from a GP or counsellor, the sooner you get help the better.
Ways to treat hay fever
You can get hay fever tablets from over the counter. These tablets work by blocking symptom-causing chemicals released by the immune system during an allergic reaction. They help keep your symptoms under control. You can take them when you have symptoms or you can take them if you know you’re going to be exposed to allergens.
Your GP may prescribe you a steroid treatment such as steroid nasal spray. Although if the steroids or other medications don’t work you could be referred for immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves small amounts of pollen being injected or tablets to gradually build up your immunity to pollen. Immunotherapy treatment usually starts in the winter most commonly around 3 months before hay fever season starts.
Tips on coping with hay fever
- Try putting Vaseline around your nose to trap the pollen and stop it from reaching inside your nose
- Shower and change your clothes after being outdoors, this will wash the pollen off your skin
- Wear sunglasses to decrease the risk of pollen getting into your eyes
- Stay indoors when pollen is high
- Keep windows and doors shut, when possible, to keep the pollen from coming inside
- Regularly dust and vacuum
- Get pollen filters for air vents inside your car or vacuum
When suffering from hay fever there are a few things you should avoid like cutting grass or walking on grass, especially freshly cut grass. Do not keep fresh flowers in your home. Don’t dry your clothes outside as pollen can catch onto your clothes. Also do not spend a large amount of time outdoors if possible.