Health expert recommends one simple everyday hack to reduce hay fever symptoms

High pollen levels are being recorded, spelling misery for the UK's millions of hay fever sufferers

While spring brings warmer temperatures and longer days, it also sees the start of the allergy season, with the Met Office issuing a warning of high pollen levels approaching.

According to Kleenex, hay fever is one of the most common allergies across the UK, with almost half (49%) of Brits experiencing symptoms each year. Further to this, over a third of allergy sufferers have changed their lifestyle to help ease symptoms.

According to the NHS, hay fever is a common allergy that causes sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. You cannot cure it, but there are things you can do to help your symptoms, or medicines you can take to help. Symptoms include sneezing and coughing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy, red or watery eyes, itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears, loss of smell, pain around the sides of your head and your forehead, headache, and feeling tired.

Symptoms are usually worse between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest. With no cure for hay fever, Siena Cid - who is an expert health and Nutritionist at air up® - reveals that staying well hydrated is an excellent way of relieving symptoms.

Siena said: "Sufficient daily fluid intake is an absolute must-do for a healthy lifestyle - we already knew that. But the fact that it can now become a relieving life hack, especially at the start of spring, was also new to us.

"Drinking an adequate amount of water becomes all the more important during the annoying hay fever season - in other words, when our nose and throat are producing mucus at full speed.

"Why? Drinking water helps to thin the mucus and make the constant coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose more productive. Sounds unpleasant, but it feels all the better. The result: The annoying hay fever symptoms become more bearable for all sufferers."