4 Things You Didn't Know About Allergy Dangers
The blossoms are beautiful this time of year. Trees, shrubs, the grassy parks alive with wildflowers. Everything comes alive, people start planning summer fun. But, this beauty extracts quite a price from a number of people, in the form of seasonal allergies, like hayfever.
Over 17 million adults suffer from hayfever in the US
4 million work days are lost to hayfever each year
Allergies can increase your risk of falling
Risk of bad side effects to allergy medication increases with patient age
While an allergy doesn't affect your balance directly, it impacts some of the systems that contribute to good balance. When suffering from symptoms, many people experience poor sleep, and feel tired and unable to focus during the day. Having a stuffy nose or blocked sinuses also makes some feel removed from the world around them. Both these symptoms make people less alert to trip hazards and slower to respond when they do notice. Perhaps when tired you start to shuffle your feet, rather than walk normally. Itchy, streaming eyes can affect vision quality.While some medications can help with the symptoms above, they come with their own problems, especially first generation antihistamines, which can cause drowsiness, and even an inability to think clearly. These effects can be magnified in older adults because aging means there are fewer receptors in the brain, and increased blood-brain permeability. So what can you do? Unfortunately, there is no magic solution to removing allergy symptoms, but there are things you can do to prevent a fall.
Pay attention, consciously, when you move around. Be aware that your body might need more time to react, and plan accordingly
Before taking any medication, check with your doctor to make sure it won't react with anything else you take, and if a non-drowsy version is right for you
Perhaps schedule in some daytime rest - meditation, reading, or napping, to make up for loss of sleep at night
Drink plenty of fluids
Don't stop exercising: if the climate outdoors makes you miserable, try changing your routine for a bit. Go swimming, or take a class inside.
What is your favourite way to beat allergies? We'd love to hear from you.