Holiday Allergies: What Is Causing Them?

Holiday Festivities  (And Allergies) Are In Full Swing 

The holidays are a time to spend time with family and have fun. However, some people experience holiday allergies during this time of year. This puts a huge damper on their holiday cheer. Seasonal greenery, mold and mildew, food, or even your extended family’s pets may be the culprit. Just a few tips and adjustments should get you back on track for celebration. 

Why Do Allergies Spike During The Holiday Season? 

Many holiday traditions can irritate or trigger someone’s allergies. Cooking and pet dander, fireplaces, and seasonal greenery such as Christmas trees and garland can cause irritation. Most of the year your allergies may managed pretty well. These indoor allergens that only come around once a year can prompt your allergy symptoms to spike. Uncommon indoor allergens being introduced and our tendency to stay inside when it’s cold create a recipe for allergy catastrophe.

Causes For Holiday Allergies

Everyone has different irritants that cause their allergies to act up, so it could be a number of things. Determining the source of your holiday allergies is the first step to alleviating them.

Food & Cooking: Winter holidays means a lot of cooking, as well as dining away from home. The fumes and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) given off from the amount of cooking being done could potentially irritate your allergies. Parties and seasonal foods may also elevate the temptation to eat foods you may have adverse reactions to. While unlikely, it is even possible that you accidentally ingest something you could be allergic to.  

Pets: Pet fur and dander can cause an issue whether you host at your home, or celebrate at someone else’s home. Generally, your own pets won’t cause you much irritation, simply because you’re used to them. However, being around someone else’s pets can cause allergies to flare up. Unfamiliar irritants will always cause some sort of allergy flare up, especially in those with pre-existing sensitivities.  

Cleaning Products & Dust: When having guests over at their home, people are most likely going to be cleaning to prepare for those guests. At least we would hope so. Cleaning products can give off harsh scents and chemicals that can easily irritate those with sensitive allergies. When cleaning, dust particles that have settled also become airborne. These dust particles can be very irritating and cause holiday allergies to flare up.

Candles: Many winter holidays employ the use of candles. Whether for traditional celebration purposes, or just to have the house smell nice. While candles do give off a pleasant scent, they also give off VOCs, which are common allergens. The smoke particles and scent can potentially cause irritation for those with sensitive allergies.  

Seasonal Plants: Plants such as Christmas trees, garland, and seasonal flowers can often cause allergies to become irritated. Many of these plants are stored outside before being purchased and brought into one’s home. This means that any potential outdoor allergens such as dust or mold particles will be brought inside. 

Mold: Mold can be brought into your home by a variety of things. Between the aforementioned seasonal plants, and people coming in and out during holiday parties, outdoor mold is brought inside. This specific mold isn’t necessarily something you need to worry about causing damage to your home. More than anything, it will simply cause irritation and inconvenient holiday allergies. As long as your home doesn’t have any areas where mold can thrive, there should be no cause for concern. However, if you are concerned that there could be mold developing within the home, contact a professional mold remediation company in your area. 

Holiday Allergies May Seem Unavoidable 

Avoiding exposure to allergens this holiday season can seem very difficult. Unfortunately, there is really no way to fully avoid it. However, there are a few things you can do to lessen the effect that holiday allergies may have on you. Keep in mind that these tips are not the perfect fix, just ideas to help alleviate some of that irritation. For example, if you feel it is getting too stuffy inside and your allergies are becoming irritated, take a step outside for some fresh air. The indoor environment may be getting to be too much for you. Another thing you can do beforehand is to take an antihistamine as a preventative. You can even bring that with you so you have it in the event that your allergies are becoming too severe. While it may take a bit to kick in, you should be feeling better in no time.

Knowing what is causing your allergies this holiday season will be helpful in avoiding or lessening their impact. There really is no quick fix or way to avoid these holiday allergies. We hope that these tips and tricks can help to lessen the irritation that you may be experiencing. Knowing what is causing your allergies this holiday season will be helpful in avoiding, or lessening their impact.