For Claire, 32, the arrival of spring means one thing and one thing only – hay fever season. Every May, she spends three to four weeks with the runny nose, itchy eyes and constant fatigue that characterise allergic rhinitis. Unsurprisingly, this has an impact on her mood.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I feel depressed, but I do feel pretty low, especially as it goes on and it feels like it’s never going to end,” she says. “It’s quite frustrating, because it’s such a beautiful time of year – it’s sunny and people are sitting outside having picnics. You just want to participate but you know you can’t be outside on the grass.”
For Claire and others like her, hay fever is a truly miserable experience – both because of the nature of the symptoms themselves, and because they restrict what you can do.
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