Often this disorder is caused by an airborne allergy.

The symptoms of hayfever or non-seasonal allergic rhinitis, while similar to some other conditions affecting the nose and eyes, are quite distinctive.

• Runny nose • Sneezing • Nasal itching • Blocked nose • Congestion • Itchy eyes • Watery eyes • Pressure around the eyes and sinuses   If you are suffering from three or more of these symptoms, airborne allergy could be the cause.

Emotional symptoms and mental performance

Many sufferers from airborne allergy find that there is more to their condition than typical symptoms such as sneezing and a runny itchy nose. They may find that their allergy results in a 'blocked-up groggy feeling'.

Sufferers frequently experience:
• Irritability
• Tiredness

Airborne allergy sufferers are also more likely to miss school or work due to mental performance and tiredness.

There are three causes

Sleep Disruption
If nasal congestion interferes with breathing, you are likely to wake up. This is a powerful reflex action. Someone suffering from nasal blockage could be awakened many times in the night and is likely to find it difficult to get back to sleep. Over several nights this could result in sleep deprivation. Nasal congestion and blockage are caused by the late phase of the allergic response.

Side-effects from allergy medicines
Some decongestants are slightly stimulating and can cause difficulty in sleeping. Older types of antihistamines can cause drowsiness.

Find out about coping with your airborne allergy >

Other symptoms could have other causes

If you experience other symptoms affecting the nose and nasal passages, the cause may be something other than airborne allergy.

A blocked nose on just one side   This could mean you have some kind of physical obstruction in your nose, such as a small benign growth called a polyp. If it remains a problem, see your doctor.   Nasal discharge that is not clear   Yellow or discoloured discharge is often a sign of an infection rather than an allergy. This could be caused by a cold or a flu-type virus. These sorts of infections usually clear up in a few days. If symptoms persist, visit your doctor.   Bloodstained nasal discharge   Nasal discharge that is flecked with blood might just mean that sneezing and nose blowing has damaged the delicate lining. However, very rarely, it could be a sign of something more serious. See your doctor to get it checked.   Headache at the front of your head or above the eyes, with a blocked nose   Bad headaches combined with nasal blockage or congestion could mean you have an infected sinus. See your doctor.   Nasal symptoms with a raised temperature   Despite its name, hayfever has nothing to do with fever and does not cause a rise in body temperature. You may have some sort of virus or other infection.   Sore throat   Sore throat accompanying nose symptoms often points to an infection as the cause. However if your throat feels itchy rather than sore, this is usually caused by airborne allergy.   Muscle pain   When combined with nasal symptoms, muscle pain is often a sign of infection.

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