It has been an abnormal winter in South Carolina, especially with the recent snowstorm. While allergies are usually more strongly associated with the warmer months, winter has its own allergy hazards, as well.
What Causes Allergies in the Winter?
If you’ve noticed allergy symptoms, here are some of the likely culprits. These allergies can occur year-round, but in the winter months, we tend to spend more time indoors and at home, so these allergies become more prominent.
Animal Dander
Pet allergies are incredibly common, affecting between 10% and 20% of the population worldwide. The usual trigger for pet allergies is their dander, but you may also be triggered by pet saliva or urine. Dander is the fine particles that animals shed, made of dead fur, hair and skin cells. These are microscopic, light, and jagged, so they easily float through the air and can get stuck to almost any surface, especially soft or upholstered surfaces.
Dust Mites
No doubt you’re familiar with dust. Dust mites are microscopic, bug-like pests that eat dust, which is made up of flakes of dead skin. They typically live in bedding, carpets, upholstered furniture and other such places. Thankfully, they don’t bite or sting like some other pests; rather, if you have a dust mite allergy, you’re reacting to the proteins in their feces, urine or decaying bodies.
Mold
Mold thrives in dark, damp and warm environments, meaning the winter condensation on your windows plus your central heating system make conditions ideal for mold. Mold spreads by releasing spores into the air, which land on surfaces and bloom into new mold spots. Inhaling these spores can cause allergy symptoms and asthma, and touching mold spots can cause skin reactions.
How to Find Relief
Allergy relief can make the difference between a cozy winter and a miserable one. Your first step is to try and lessen the allergens in your home. We wrote a blog post about this recently; check it out for tips to thoroughly clean your home for allergens.
There are also medications you can take to help relieve symptoms, such as antihistamines and decongestants. If over-the-counter medications aren’t helping, however, then it’s a good idea to consider immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is an allergy treatment that introduces small doses of an allergen to your body to build up a tolerance to it. This means that the next time you come into contact with that allergen, your immune system won’t react as harshly. Contact Spartanburg-Greer ENT & Allergy to learn more about this effective treatment.