Winter: Another Allergy Season

Most people don’t think of winter as an allergy season. But if you’re allergic to dust -- or more accurately the mold, pollen, mites and insect parts that linger in dust—winter can be the worst time of year. When the furnace kicks on, all the dust that has settled into your carpet, atop the bookshelves and under the couch gets stirred up and wreaks havoc with your eyes, nose, sinuses and throat.

Other known irritants during winter could be gases released by the stove, household cleaners, smoke from the fireplace and secondhand smoke.

Some common symptoms of indoor, winter allergies are sneezing, often accompanied by a runny or stuffy nose, coughing and postnasal drip, and itching eyes, nose and throat.

If you have dogs or cats these problems may be even worse in winter, as the weather is colder and they spend more time inside. Animal allergens can be found almost everywhere, but especially in bedrooms. They are attributed to a protein contained in the saliva, dander or urine of animals, are carried through the air, and exist in furniture, fabric and carpeting.

You can begin to address these allergy triggers by keeping the humidity low, removing wall-to-wall carpet, cleaning regularly, and using the hot water button on your washing machine.

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