Despite its name, hay fever has nothing to do with hay or fever. A nineteenth-century physician called it this because he began to sneeze every time he entered a hay barn. But hay fever is, in fact, a reaction of the upper respiratory tract to anything to which you may be allergic. The medical term for hay fever is allergic rhinitis.
Hay fever is most common in spring and fall, but some people have it all year.
You can try to avoid things that give you hay fever. Talk to your doctor if that doesn't help. He or she may prescribe antihistamines, decongestants or nasal sprays. Histamine causes many allergic symptoms. For best results, take the antihistamine 30 minutes before going outside.