The Simplest Way to Battle Tree Pollen This Spring

And here we go with the start of pollen season. Our family of 5 has allergies year-round to pollen, pets, dust; you name it.

Tree pollen at its peak

But when pollen season kicks off, our year-round misery kicks into high gear. Pollen season starts with trees (yes, trees). Many people think flowers cause spring allergies, but trees are the culprit.

We just set up our patio after a VERY long winter. When I say long, I mean long! The local ski resort had 907" of snow this year. That's a crazy 75 feet of snow.

Luckily, I live in a valley and didn't get that much snow. But we had record snowfalls here too, and it was a long dreary winter. Now that it's warming up, the snow is melting, and we're experiencing flooding and mudslides.

Staying outdoors means being covered in pollen

My house is not in a flood zone because my oldest son is a geologist and checked the geohazard maps before we bought our house. We are in a safe area so I can spend some time in the sun.

But laying on the chaise lounge on the patio and watching the sunset means I'll be covered in tree pollen when I come inside.

That won't deter me! For my mental health, I need to be outdoors. Imagine a redwood deck covered by a handcrafted pergola draped with curtains and patio lights. My husband is one amazing guy, and he designed and built the patio and pergola.

Enjoying our patio despite allergies

It's our sanctuary after a long day of work.

So we eat on the patio and then enjoy the sunset after work. No houses are behind us, so we have an unobstructed view of the trees and the sunset every night.

But once I get sneezy and wheezy, I know it's time to go inside. Despite taking allergy meds and nose spray, there's only so much my body can take concerning pollen.

Showering can mitigate allergy symptoms

Although I'm exhausted after a long day of work, I head straight to the shower to wash off the tree pollen.

It's a tip our asthma and allergy doctor taught us when my kids were little. They all have terrible allergies and had years of allergy shots. But our allergy doctor said allergy shots could help with sneezing, congestion, and runny eyes. But so can being aware of the environment. That means making our house allergy and asthma friendly and taking a bath or shower before we go to bed.

Washing pollen from hair and skin

He explained that bathing or showering before bed will remove a day's worth of pollen from your hair, eyebrows, and skin. We also blow our noses to get the pollen out.

It sounds so simple. But it really works!

Washing off pollen before bed

Some people are dubious. For years, I coordinated an Asthma Home Visit program. I would teach the participants to bathe or shower before bed and inform them that's what my allergy and asthma doctor taught me.

If they are still dubious, I tell them to try it for a week and see if it makes a difference. The next time I visited them, they told me it really worked!

I'm writing this now from my beautiful patio and pergola while the birds chirp at me to let me know that their bird feeder is empty. But when it's time for bed, I'll hop in the shower with my pollen-covered body and wash the pollen away.

Has anyone else tried bathing or showering before bed? Does it help your allergies?