Do You Get The Common Cold Every Fall?

The common cold can often be confused with seasonal allergies. Both have similar symptoms (ie. runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing). Fall is just as potent on allergy-ridden people as spring. About 10-30% of the populations experiences fall allergies, which are often brought on by ragweed and molds. The U.S. has the highest fall allergen counts in the Southeast, Midwest, and North. 

It is nearly impossible to completely avoid allergens, but here are a few ways to reduce your exposure:

1. As lovely has the fall season is, people with fall allergies should stay indoors as much as possible between 5am and 10am (this is when ragweed pollen is released and is the peak time of day for allergy symptoms).

2. Remove fallen leaves. Leaves are a major source of mold spores. Jumping into piles of leaves, as fun as it is, gets mold spores on your clothing and in your nasal passages. If possible, have another non-allergic family member rake the leaves and do your yard work during peak allergen days (you can find out when allergens are peaking via your local weather channel or weather website). Wear a face mask if you can't find somebody to do these chores for you.

3. Take frequent showers and wash your clothing often. This will rinse the pollen and mold spores off of your body. However, frequent showers will do no good if you wear clothing items that are full of pollen and mold.

4. If you are storing clothing from the summer or fall seasons in preparation for winter, be sure you launder all of the clothes. This will help remove pollen and mold spores and prevent an allergic reaction the following fall season. Also be sure to store your clothing in climate-controlled storage at Lexington Mini-Storage.

Be sure to consult your physician if you think you may have fall allergies.