Hay fever product sales jump 200% in Cork pharmacy, here's how to manage symptoms

Runny nose? Sneezing fits? Trouble sleeping? You're not the only one. Here are 10 tips for managing and preventing hay fever symptoms 

Applying Vaseline around nostrils and closing windows at night can help relieve symptoms. Picture: iStock.

If you feel like your hay fever is worse than usual this year, you’re not alone. Over the past few weeks, the pollen count has been noticeably high and, in one pharmacy, over-the-counter treatment sales have skyrocketed by 200%.

According to Met Éireann, the pollen count in Munster, Connacht, and Ulster is at a ‘very high’ level today, and it looks to be high again tomorrow. Before this week, levels were between moderate and high, but with lime trees coming into flower and grass in peak season, it’s not easy having hay fever right now, especially as the warm weather is set to continue until the weekend.