May 2024

While allergies aren’t a serious illness, they can make you feel miserable. To best manage allergy symptoms, you need to identify what’s triggering your allergies, learn how to avoid those triggers, and figure out what treatments are — and aren’t — helpful in reducing your symptoms.

Learn more about how — and why — keeping an allergy diary can help you manage your symptoms.

Keep an allergy diary. Note how your allergy symptoms change throughout the day. Be sure to include all relevant info, like when, where, and under what conditions your allergy symptoms are better or worse. Do they get worse when you go outside or open your window? Does the time of day matter? Do the weather conditions matter? Gaining these sorts of insights can help you reduce exposure to allergy triggers.

Track your allergy meds too. Be sure your diary entries include what allergy meds you take, when you take them, and in what dose. You may need to take certain medications (like steroidal nasal sprays) for a couple of weeks before you notice any difference, while others might begin to bring you relief within an hour. Once you have enough data, this will help you discern if your current medication protocol is helping or if you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about changing it up.

Know the local pollen count. If you have seasonal allergies, visit Pollen.com and enter your zip code to see the current pollen level in your area and which types of pollen are currently most prevalent. You may discover that your pollen allergies are only triggered by certain types of trees or plants and that you only need to keep your windows closed or exercise inside when those particular types of pollen are high.