Fall allergies and sinus congestion can leave you confused. People wonder, “isn’t pollen relatively low in the fall?” This article is all about addressing this.
I have been a year-round allergy sufferer who only developed allergies about 5 years ago. Post-allergy life is a new normal. If you experience allergies, they don’t have to run (or ruin) your life.
Feel lucky if you live allergy-free. I’m sharing below how I manage fall allergies and sinus congestion. If you experience bothersome sinuses, this could be because you have a Kapha nature (or imbalance). You can find out if you have a Kapha imbalance and how to restore your balance from that perspective.
You can also opt to take an allergy test from an allergist (where they can gently prick your arm or back) and find out if your situation is more complicated. I chose to do that and learned my symptoms were mostly external ones like watery eyes and annoying (but moderate) nasal congestion.
Allergy symptoms can last all day. Late afternoon and evenings can be worse than mornings (the opposite of spring grass allergies).
You may avoid opening windows and live like you’re caged in your castle, but it beats dealing with symptoms that show up the next day. I’m with you because that’s how I spend my days. Gratefully I’m pampered in my fortress and hopefully, you are too 😉.
Does this describe you or someone you know? If so, you may find a tip or two below that is new to you, or a reminder that you want to implement.
You can also learn a healthier way of dealing with sinus infections that anyone can get at any time.
Lower Fall Pollen Allergies vs. Air Allergens
Fall seasonal ragweed and grass pollen culprits lower as the weather cools and autumn goes into full swing. U.S. time changes (fall back) is a good marker of when this happens.
You may be scratching your head wondering why you have hay fever-type symptoms, especially when the pollen count reports .1 (from commonly higher ranges like 4-9 throughout the year of different culprits). Yes, you read that number right. In some states, the daily allergy score is POINT one (that’s one-tenth of one in October/November).
If you check the pollen count you will see that it’s lower in most places along the east coast.
What isn’t accounted for is the mold spore factor. Besides plants, trees, and grasses, other causes of environmental allergies are mold spores and dust mites that you may have heard about. Many people think if they stay away from dense tree areas, they are better off. That’s only true if trees are the allergen cause. The seaside and beaches can have higher pollen counts.
Pollen is location specific, and you can’t really escape the different kinds of pollen that strike year-round, that can frequently change from year to year. I’ve traveled up and down the coast and haven’t found positive relief changes. So moving or escaping to Florida or the Delaware shores may sound good, but may or may not help.
Fall Allergies and Sinus Congestion – Is it Allergies?
If you find yourself experiencing allergy symptoms, you easily could confuse for new anxiety or developing health ailment symptoms. And that only creates more anxiety.
It’s better to rule out environmental allergies first before you go there.
If you have tension headaches, face or nasal congestion, these are common allergy symptoms you can experience daily.
If you feel this often or every year, you know that this is a greater likelihood. You can confirm with an allergist.
In my case, I didn’t have allergies until 5 years ago. Allergies can start at any age, and wearing a mask won’t help. They change and your body does too. If you’re a Vata, you’re sensitive to the air, and naturally, want to avoid the wind. It’s in our nature.
For fall allergies, sufferers usually don’t get relief until the first frost. Rain and precipitation are a good thing but if your allergies aren’t pollen-related, that won’t make a big difference.
If you find yourself sneezing more than usual, this is a tell-tale sign. Or you may not be sneezing at all if you are “stuffed up” in nasal congestion. Fall allergies and sinus congestion symptoms are different for each person.
10 Nasal Congestion Healthy and Practical Hacks (Good for Adults and Kids)
Feeling like you have cotton stuffed in your noses is no fun. Here are some natural hacks that won’t hurt to try and could really help…
1. Keep a tin black pepper container nearby is a good idea. Wave around your nose, and eventually force a sneeze.
2. If too stuffed up or congested, cleanse the nasal passage more often with the neti pot. This is an Ayurveda practice and one I would not do without. Take into your shower practice if you find it messy to do over a sink.
3. Use a natural saline nasal spray several times per day. (If you use a medicine spray, this could be a good alternative to wean you off as you may be in the habit of using a nasal spray).
4. Consume 1-2 Hall’s eucalyptus menthol cough drops per day that naturally open up the nasal passage. Fresh horseradish is also a game-changer.
5. Hum and sing. This works well. When you hear blockages in sound, then you know that there’s a sinus conflict. You could also do nasal cavity exercises where you force sounds out of your nasal air passages.
If you sing, you’re used to doing these exercises, but if you don’t, then this is probably a new exercise you don’t practice at all or often.
Here are a few tips. Since you can sound like a bad sounding flute, I would recommend doing this in your privacy or in the car. No one can see you doing them and they can’t hear you either, lol!
Keep doing this until your nasal sounds run smooth. You may have to start over every day. By the time you reach your destination if you’re driving, you’ll sound better than you did.
6. Too much congestion can affect your sense of balance (controlled in your inner ear). Pop your ears like when you’re flying, reaching higher altitudes, and you can feel like you have cotton balls in your ears.
When you are laying down, congestion builds up so be careful when you get up.
7. Take a warm steam shower and pour out a couple of peppermint oil drops. Take deep nose inhales with nasal awakening peppermint. Depending on your natural dosha balances and imbalances, you’ll prefer other aromatherapy scents.
You can alternatively steam water over a stove in a pot and drop peppermint oil in the hot-warm water that you inhale (aromatherapy). Keep the water just below a boil for best results.
(If you have to make a presentation or go on an interview, to prepare I would do these last 2 steps of nasal sound exercises and steam, several times each).
8. Humidifier. While higher mold spore counts and adding moisture to the air is not a good remedy combo, I have a humidifier in every room since I’m a pure Vata body type, so I have a dry nature and dry nasal passages. You probably either love humidifiers or you don’t depend on if you’re a pure body type. Discover about your imbalance body type this season by taking the body balance quiz.
9. For headaches, peppermint tea is calming and herbal so you don’t have to worry that it will keep you up all night. V8 tomato juice is also good for headaches.
10. Have an air purifier in the room where you spend the most time (or one in each room). This could be in your office and/or where you sleep. Make sure the purifier uses filters that catch mold size spores (not just dust size particles). Replace the filters as instructed.
Medicine vs. Natural Remedies (for Fall Allergies and Sinus Congestion)
Over the Counter Medicines:
If you do decide you need medicine for your symptoms, I’ve learned there are two main types. I don’t personally find they work, but I know people confuse the two. If you’re going to take one, how I see it, is you might as well try and take the right medicine that could potentially help you!
You need to look at the ingredients, not the marketing words or description on the front of the packaging. These OTC readily available medicines work on your symptoms. That’s why many allergy medicines have the same ingredients as cold and flu medicines.
So if you have hay fever-like symptoms or the ones that most people think of when they think of outdoor allergies, such as watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, tickle in the throat, itchiness, or sneezing, then you want to look for an antihistamine with the diphenhydramine, Cetirizine HCL or loratadine ingredient (Benadryl-first generation, Zyrtec, and Claritin are known brands).
If you have cold sinus congestion in your nose, facial cavities, then you want to look for the phenylephrine ingredient (e.g. Sudafed). Note the different ingredients.
Many medicines come with something for the pain aches, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You’ll notice cold and flu medicines have the same ingredients. If you don’t have aches but nasal congestion only, then you don’t want to take additional pain or ache medicine. So, just look for nasal decongestant-relief” But again, I didn’t have good results as they have side effects, so I took the natural path (natural nasal drops). But you have options and better to only take the medicine if/when you feel symptoms and not before.
The better lifelong natural alternative for all-season allergies, is neti pot cleansing, nasal saline sprays, and menthol/eucalyptus cough drops (can carry on your body when you go out).
Also boiling/steaming ACV (listen to our grandmother passed on advice!) or peppermint essential oil drops help. These are healthy, natural ways.
Be Careful With Antibiotics:
In the U.S., I believe from my experiences that antibiotics are overused and over-prescribed. They are needed for infections your body can’t fight off easily, but no one (not even the doctor) will know in many and most cases if the infection is on a worsening path.
Only inside your body knows. So antibiotics can be prescribed for prevention or if there’s a slight chance of an infection. It’s good to get smart about what they are used for and only take them if you need to.
An antibiotic helps bacterial infections, not usually common viral ones like a cold. Finding a preventative natural, herb solution such as goldenseal is a natural solution for prevention of sinus infections if you feel one could be coming on from your experience.
That means being Ayurvedically sensitive and getting to know your body as the body repeats signs in recurring symptoms.
Adding the neti pot as your weekly practice prevents sinus infections and is always helpful. I think of it as regular cleaning practice for nasal passages (just like a cleaning the house routine is necessary).
I learned this practice after I worked in one corporate office that led me to sinus infections every few weeks. I never had sinus infections prior, so I had a good hunch that it was the office and environment. Like most people who don’t know better, I went to the doctor’s office, was prescribed, and took antibiotics each time. The idea bothered me, so I looked for preventative ways for the future.
And I learned over time, your body develops resistance and immunity to antibiotics so only take them if you absolutely must (plus all the other harmful body effects). In my case, I developed full-blown walking pneumonia that warranted taking antibiotics, but I believe I could’ve prevented the whole episode with the natural regimen above if I knew sooner what to do.
Healthy preventative ways are the lasting way to live and to strive to live your optimum health in your wiser and older age.
If you want to learn what your body is telling you in symptoms, try out the Body Balance Quiz.