Seasonal allergies are back with a vengeance. When does pollen season end? Your guide to survival.
Spring is in full swing, and if April showers brought out May flowers, chances are they brought seasonal allergies as well.
Approximately 26% of U.S. adults reported experiencing seasonal allergies in 2021, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports. That's about 81 million people sneezing, sniffing and heading to drugstore counters for an extra dose of allergy medicine.
The allergy forecast at any given moment has to do with where you live and what the pollen count is. Here's what you should know about when pollen season is over and how to keep seasonal allergies in check.
When is pollen season over?
"I'd say we start seeing this peter out in June," says Dr. Neeta Ogden, an allergist and spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
There are three main buckets seasonal allergies fall into: trees, grass and weeds.
For tree allergies, pollen season generally runs from February to May, grass pollen season runs from April to June, and weed pollen season runs from August to November.
"Pollen season," or the time of year that plants release pollen to fertilize other plants of the same species, can occur all four seasons of the year in some states. It is, however, most commonly associated with spring when trees and other plants begin to bloom.
Each region is ecologically diverse, so the timetables can vary from state to state. For a helpful tool, check out Kleenex's Pollen Pal, which lets you track daily pollen count by plant type in your area.
What month is pollen the highest?
It depends on the type of pollen and where you are located.
Most seasonal allergy symptoms come from tree pollen, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports. Tree pollen count peaks between the months of February and May.
What is pollen count?
Pollen count means how much pollen is in the air ? it is measured by the number of pollen grains in a specific unit of air.
Some sites offer a "pollen forecast," which predicts how much pollen, and what type of pollen, will be in the air in upcoming days. Just like the weather forecast, it is an estimation. It can help us understand and answer the question: why are my allergies so bad right now?
Ogden encourages checking the pollen count at the top of the day as well. "I think that this is a very useful tool actually for people to know how bad the day is going to be for them and plan accordingly," she says.
Can you get seasonal allergies in September?
Yes. Seasonal allergies can take effect at different times throughout the year depending on where you live. In September, weed plants will be at their peak pollen count. These seasonal allergies tend to peak between August and November.
What are the symptoms of seasonal allergies?
Those who experience seasonal allergies brought on by high pollen count may present any of the following symptoms:
Runny or stuffy nose
Post-nasal drip
Sneezing
Itchiness around the nose, eyes and ears
Redness, itchiness or watering around the eyes
Coughing
Congestion
Shortness of breath or asthma
That last symptom is less commonly associated with seasonal allergies but is important to remember, Ogden says, because there are treatments. "I think sometimes people underrecognize how much the breathing is a part of it," she explains.
How to stop seasonal allergies?
Ogden stresses that planning is key. "If you're an allergy sufferer you should be prepared with these things before the season," she says.
Every person is different, Ogden says, but the cornerstone of care for most people will be second-generation antihistamines. This refers to medications like Zyrtec, Claritin and Allegra.
If someone is suffering more from a sore throat and nasal symptoms, Ogden recommends an intranasal spray: either a steroid spray or an antihistamine spray. For symptoms around the eyes, eye drops can work, she says.
"My only caveat here is that there's so many allergy labels on over-the-counter pharmacy medications that I think people need to be really careful before they start dabbling in lots of things," Ogden adds. Sometimes trying too many different things can make things worse, so it's better to consult an allergy provider who can treat you more efficiently.
How to treat seasonal allergies naturally
If you prefer to treat naturally, Ogden recommends saline spray to clear your eyes and nose of pollen at the end of the day. Washing your hair and wiping down eyelids and eyelashes can also help.
Ogden hesitates to recommend specific all-natural supplements because they are less well-researched but says there is decent evidence around butterbur, a shrub sometimes used to treat allergies.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is pollen season over? A guide to those pesky seasonal allergies