Your winter cold might actually be a sign you're allergic to Christmas trees

10 December 2023 , 05:00

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Your winter cold might actually be a sign you're allergic to Christmas trees

You most certainly won't be rockin' around the Christmas tree if you are allergic to them this season.

However, with the cold and flu period truly upon us, you may be mixing up seasonal sickness with allergies. Luckily, there's a few ways to decipher whether you're suffering with a dreaded winter cold or if you are allergic to sparkling Christmas tree sitting in your living room.

If your sickness is transient - it comes and goes but can be intense - then you are probably allergic to Christmas trees, the Metro reports. However, there is more than one way to get sick from a Christmas tree so it's important to know what to look out for if you are opting for a real tree this year.

The most prominent cause of allergy to Christmas trees is mould and pollen - the moisture of the tree makes them an ideal home for spores so if you have a pre-existing allergy to mould then your previous symptoms could be triggered.

Pre-existing conditions with your lungs or asthma can make you more vulnerable to irritants spread by the tree like pesticides, dust mites, pine terpines, and insect droppings.

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Signs you are allergic to Christmas tree

• A runny nose

• Itchiness

• A skin rash

• Watery eyes

• Sneezing

• Streaming eyes

• Wheezing

• Coughing

What you can do to help

If you absolutely cannot fathom spending Christmas without a traditional pine tree then you could turn the hose on your tree before bringing it into your home environment. This should clear most of the irritants.

You could also spray the tree with a bleach solution to kill mould spores, and regularly wipe down ornaments to prevent a build-up of dust.

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However, if you are particularly vulnerable to respiratory infections or have a known history for allergies you might want to invest in a fake tree and save yourself the headache and invest in an alternative for a Christmas tree.

Mariam Khan