I have severe allergies. If I miss my pill by more than an hour, my symptoms take over my life. I get infections from them, they irritate my asthma, I miss hiking because of them.

If your allergies are severe like mine, you should probably be on medication. Even with medication, I have found several little tricks that ease my symptoms. For those of you with milder seasonal allergies, try these tips first before loading up on sleepy-inducing drugs.

Saline Spray

A friend of mine once suggested I do what he does for seasonal allergies. He mixes warm water and salt, puts them in a wide mouthed glass or bowl, and then sniffs the liquid hard up into his nose. If you have ever laughed too hard and spurted anything you were drinking at the time out of your nose, you will understand how much pain this technique can cause.

There is an easier way. You can find big bottles of saline solution nose spray at your pharmacy. They are just salt water, no medication. A couple squirts up the nostrils every morning and night will wash away the pollen and thin out the mucus, relieving your nasal allergy symptoms.

Wash Your Hair

Well, naturally one should be in the habit of regular hair-washing, but that isn’t what I am referring to. Before you go to bed at night, rinse your hair with water. If damp hair in bed bothers you, do it an hour or so before bedtime to allow it to dry.

Rinsing your hair will rinse out any pollen or other allergens that have accumulated there during the day. They won’t get on your pillow, and then you won’t be rubbing your face in them all night.

Also, consider changing your pillowcase every other night to reduce buildup of dust, pollen, dander, and other allergens.