Allergies don’t choose a time or place to attack. Autumn also brings sudden changes in temperature — both cold and hot — which ends up resulting in more allergy triggers. However, there are some precautions that can be taken to prevent this from happening in your own home.
It is precisely in the comfort of our home, where we think we are protected, that there are more elements capable of triggering a sneezing attack, according to British research.
The study, carried out with 2,000 Brits by Sterimar, a company that makes products for people with allergies, found that the home is the place that makes people sneeze the most (42%), followed by the garden (28%) and the bed (23% ).
Otorhinolaryngologist Carlos Feier, professor of otorhinolaryngology at Unigranrio, highlights the importance of maintaining an organized and clean home to avoid allergies.
“The house is our temple. In the bedroom, for example, we spend at least eight hours a day”, he says.
The British survey showed that 84% of people think that these sneezes come out of nowhere.
However, it’s not quite “out of the blue”. There are many items inside the home that are triggers for these sneezes.
Home care
For starters, everything can collect dust. Therefore, according to the otorhinolaryngologist, it is best to choose environments with fewer objects, and remove dust from furniture with a damp cloth frequently to avoid accumulation.
The house must be kept ventilated to avoid humidity and the formation of mold, which also contributes to irritation of the airways and allergy attacks.
For lovers of rugs, curtains and carpets, the news is not very good: they also accumulate a lot of dust, which can be a trigger for a succession of sneezes. Children’s rooms, with their beloved stuffed animals, can also end up becoming a hostile environment for the same reason.
According to Feier, the ideal would be to avoid the items if the allergy is very strong, or to clean them constantly if you can’t live without them.
“Keeping everything as simple and clean as possible helps,” he says.
Bedding, such as blankets and sheets, as well as pillows, must be washed and changed regularly, always keeping them clean.
Everyday clothes also deserve attention. The otolaryngologist points out that cotton clothing is the most recommended for allergy sufferers, as it is a natural fiber and tends to absorb moisture better, allowing the skin to “breathe”.
Furthermore, you need to be careful with the pieces that remain in the closet, always doing your best to keep the furniture clean and airy. Washing before using something that has been stored for a long time can also prevent new triggers.
Although the key word is cleanliness, this does not mean super fragrant environments. Candles and flavoring sprays, for example, should be avoided, as the strong perfume can be irritating and cause sneezing.
For those who have a car, one of the main precautions described by the doctor — in addition to frequently cleaning the interior, not just the exterior — is to avoid smoking inside the vehicle. The smoke ends up being trapped inside the car, which leads to the accumulation of substances contained inside the cigarette. Some of these elements, such as acrolein, directly affect the mucosa of the respiratory system and can cause triggers for those who have diseases linked to allergies.
Rhinitis and sinusitis
In addition to temperature changes, autumn has other particularities, such as low air humidity, greater concentration of dust, pollutants and pollen in the air. All of this creates an almost perfect environment for the increase in respiratory diseases.
Two allergic diseases that tend to attack even more are rhinitis and sinusitis, both characterized by inflammation of the airways.
According to Feier, due to the low humidity and colder climate, the nose’s normal defense mechanisms, such as mucus and ciliary movement, end up undergoing changes that affect their functions, such as dryness.
Rhinitis is classified as allergic when the inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes is caused by a substance that is also allergic, such as dust, animal hair or feathers and strong smells.
Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, the part of our body responsible for warming the air or reducing the weight of the skull. Allergic sinusitis, similar to rhinitis, occurs when the patient presents symptoms upon contact with organisms that trigger an allergic reaction.
The main symptoms of sinusitis are a blocked nose, headache with a feeling of pressure in the nose and sinuses, yellowish discharge, as well as general malaise and fever. Acute sinusitis, which appears after colds or allergic attacks, generally disappears without the need for specific treatment. But washing your nose frequently helps alleviate symptoms.
Treatment of conditions of allergic origin includes the use of anti-allergy medications, nasal corticosteroids and nasal washing with serum.
