The weather outside is starting to warm up, which means spring is ready to come and play! Before heading outdoors, make sure you are ready to conquer your seasonal allergies so that you can do a lot more enjoying and less time sneezing when outside.

Our team at AFC Urgent Care Smyrna wants to share some insight about seasonal allergies, as well as why it’s important to spend some time outside.

What Could Be Causing My Seasonal Allergies?

The flowers and tress are blooming, and the pollen has come out to play! Pollen is the biggest spring allergy trigger, and it can come from trees, grasses and even weeds that release it into the air.

While some people may experience one or two spring allergy symptoms from the pollen, other people really have a battle ahead of them once the spring allergy symptoms begin to appear.

Spring Allergy Symptoms

• Itchy eyes
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Watery eyes
• Swollen sinuses
• Runny
• Stuffy nose
• Sneezing
• Scratchy throat
• Post-nasal drip

Why Is It Important to Get Outside?

Even with social distancing, you still want to make sure that you are doing your best to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Vitamin D from the sun is vital as it not only can help with the absorption of calcium (which is crucial for bone health), but it can also help to improve our mood and lower our risk for anxiety and depression.

However, if the pollen counts are just too high for you to make it outside today for a little bit, there are other ways you can try to get your vitamin D.

Other Ways to Get Vitamin D

• Consume fatty fish and seafood.
• Eat more mushrooms.
• Include egg yolks in your diet.
• Eat fortified foods.
• Take a supplement, if recommended by a doctor.
• Try a UV lamp.

Are your seasonal allergies becoming unbearable? Visit AFC Urgent Care Smyrna today to learn how we can help.