The result of an overly sensitive immune system, seasonal allergies can range from pesky to debilitating.
Allergies are your immune systems response to a foreign substance, or allergen.
When this happens, your body overreacts and produces antibodies that attack the allergen.
The good news: Allergies are treatable.
Below, we provide allergist- and research-backed ways to stave off seasonal allergy symptoms and whats best to avoid.
THE BASICS
1.
Identify your allergens
Triggers to seasonal or environmental allergens include pollen, grasses and ragweed.
You could also be allergic to mold, pet dander, cockroach droppings and dust mites.
Identifying what youre allergic to can help you keep symptoms at bay.
Seasons and weather can affect allergic responses, but not always.
Its not just itchy eyes and a runny nose
The allergic response can cause other, lesser-known symptoms.
Increased mucus production your bodys defense against allergens can result in postnasal drip and cough.
For many, congestion results in sinus headaches that feel like pressure in your face.
Older people may have atypical symptoms
Your allergy symptoms might change as you get older.
You may not even realize your symptoms are from allergies.
Older people commonly experience generalized skin itching, rather than just itchy, watery eyes.
You could feel more fatigued than normal or experience a heavy-headed feeling some people describe as brain fog.
If you develop a fever, check in with your doctor, because you may have an infection.
Climate change = more allergy symptoms
Additionally, climate change can affect allergies.
One 2022 study projects allergy season will start sooner and last longer as global temperatures increase.
Pollen data in the San Francisco area also found temperature increases to coincide with longer pollen seasons.
Climate change is a real phenomenon.
And they can get better over time for some people; for others, it can get worse.
And then theres other people in adulthood, where it crops up all of a sudden.
Body aches are more commonly a sign of infection.
Viral illness also wont improve when you take an antihistamine.
And they just are expensive and potentially harmful.
If you have some genetic predisposition and an environmental exposure, then the disease manifests.
This, many noted in their posts, was why the pollen count was so high in your neighborhood.
But thats not the whole picture.
Its not the only reason why people are having worsened allergies, Rubin says.
Pollen grains could be miles away, and in some cases even 100 miles away, he says.
So removing one tree from your backyard wont help at all.
HEALTH RISKS
13.
Higher risk of infections
Treating allergies isnt just for comfort.
All of those have been shown to be affected adversely when people have worsening nasal allergies, Moss says.
Plus, its hard to use a CPAP machine when air cant properly flow through your nasal passages.
