Hay fever sufferers 'using nasal spray wrong their whole lives' as proper way is revealed

If you suffer from hay fever you know it is no joke, with months of antihistamines and steroids on the cards for millions of us every summer.

But you may be shooting yourself in the metaphorical foot when it comes to one type of medicine; namely, the nasal spray.

Hay fever itself impacts us in different ways, with there three kinds of pollen that gets our eyes watering, throat coughing, and nose running and sneezing.

Most of us are impacted by grass pollen in summer but there is also tree and weed, which impacts people more in the spring and autumn, respectively.

If you're like me, it has become part of the summer routine to stock up on loratadine tablets, eye drops, and the aforementioned spray for your nose.

But even then, when combined, it feels like it's not always enough and the only solution is a shower followed by staying inside, despite it being a glorious July or August day. Depressing but necessary.

Well, there may be a very big reason for it not working, going by advice issued on ITV's This Morning. And it is advice that left presenter Cat Deeley shocked.

Speaking to Professor Helen Brough, a consultant in paediatric allergy and clinical immunology who specialises in food allergies, asthma and hay fever, Deeley was like many of us in her attitudes towards taking the spray up your schnoz.

Professor Brough explaining how we've been doing it wrong (This Morning / ITV)

"I wanted to ask you a question actually about the nasal spray and how you actually administer it," Deeley said.

"Because I was very much under the illusion you breathe in at the same time but you said 'don't do that'."

Responding, Professor Brough said: "That's right, yes. I have so many families who come to me who have been having all the medications prescribed, but they're still not getting any benefit."

Jumping in, Deeley said: "...and taking it wrong, essentially."

Explaining what people do wrong, Prof Brough continued: "So if you go with the nasal spray straight up in to the nose and sniff, you'll just swallow the whole steroid in to the stomach which is not going to help you."

You live and you learn, Ben (This Morning / ITV)

Co-presenter Ben Shepard then spoke up, saying: "So you don't press and inhale?"

"No, no, you need to put your head down and then you angle the nasal steroid spray towards the side of the nose, and the nasal hairs will then slowly bring it back to where it needs to go," Prof Brough said.

"And then you don't sniff, you just hold a little tissue here [under your nose] if you need to, if there's any that falls out, but most of the time nothing falls out. And that will then mean it goes to where it's directed. And it also means that you're much less likely to get nosebleeds."

One person wrote: "Haha... I've been using it wrong all my life."

Another wrote: "So informative, will try this."

A third added: "Oh god, wish I knew this five years ago. Hounded as a kid by hay fever."

And a fourth said: "I've been doing it wrong lol."