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It’s nearly impossible to completely avoid spring allergies if you live in an area where plants grow. However, you can ease sniffling, sneezing, and watery eyes by avoiding your main allergy triggers. Here are a few tips.

* Try to stay indoors whenever the pollen count is very high (pollen counts usually peak in the mornings).
* Keep your doors and windows closed whenever possible during the spring months to keep allergens out. An air purifier may also help.
* Clean the air filters in your home often. Also, clean bookshelves, vents, and other places where pollen can collect.
* Wash your hair after going outside, because pollen can collect there.
* Vacuum twice a week. Wear a mask because vacuuming can kick up pollen, mold, and dust that were trapped in your carpet.

If you’ve never been formally diagnosed with spring allergies but you notice that your eyes and nose are itchy and runny during the spring months, see your doctor. Your doctor may refer you to an allergist for tests.

The allergy specialist may do a skin test, which involves injecting a tiny sample of a diluted allergen just under the skin of your arm or back. If you’re allergic to the substance, a small red bump (called a wheal or hive) will form. Another diagnostic option is the radioallergosorbent test or RAST. RAST is a blood test that detects antibody levels to a particular allergen. Just because you are sensitive to a particular allergen on a test, though, doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily start sneezing and coughing when you come into contact with it.

The symptoms of spring allergies include:

* Runny nose
* Watery eyes
* Sneezing
* Coughing
* Itchy eyes and nose
* Dark circles under the eyes

Airborne allergens also can trigger asthma, a condition in which the airways narrow, making breathing difficult and leading to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.