Seasonal Allergies: Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

It is almost here – seasonal allergy season – and if you are among the more than 50 million Americans that suffer from seasonal allergies, you are probably starting to prepare yourself.

In many areas of the United States, spring allergy season starts in February and continues through early summer. Bothersome spring allergy symptoms, including sneezing, congestion, runny nose, can feel miserable – but the impact of seasonal allergies can go beyond feeling irritated. Seasonal allergies are among the top six causes of chronic illness in the U.S – most notably asthma.

Luckily, there are strategies for keeping seasonal allergies under control. Learn more about seasonal allergies and the treatment options available to help keep symptoms at bay this year.

What Are Allergies?

An allergy is the body’s reaction when the immune system detects a foreign substance – called an “allergen.” Foreign substances can enter the body through breathing, eating, injection or touch. Common symptoms of seasonal allergies include:

Sneezing
Congestion
Runny nose and eyes
Itchy eyes, nose, and a scratchy throat
Fatigue
Coughing
Post-nasal drip

In more severe allergic reactions cases, the body’s immune response can come in the form of hives, rash, low blood pressure, trouble breathing, asthma attacks or death. Symptoms of seasonal allergies are generally not this severe.1

Common Seasonal Allergy Triggers

The most common culprit of seasonal allergies is pollen - a powdery substance produced by trees, weeds, and grasses that can be easily blown in the wind. Pollen on its own is harmless, but for seasonal allergy sufferers, the body reacts strongly to the substance.

It mistakes pollen for something dangerous and attacks it, causing the classic allergy symptoms – including coughing, runny or stuffy nose, and itchy, watery eyes.

Plants that produce the pollen implicated in seasonal allergies include:

Trees. Oak, elm, birch, hickory, poplar, sycamore, maple, cypress, walnut, olive, western cedar, and pecan
Weeds. Ragweed, pigweed, sagebrush, tumbleweed, Russian thistle, and cockle weed
Grasses. Johnson, Timothy, Bermuda, sweet vernal, orchard, red top, and certain blue grasses

Mold and mildew can also cause seasonal allergies. These and other fungi reproduce and grow by spreading spores through the air, and although mold and mildew can grow indoors and outdoors year-round across environments, allergic symptoms are most common from July to early fall.

Factors Influencing Severity of Symptoms

The timing and severity of allergy season can vary by year and region of the country. Depending on where you live, the following climate factors can play a role in determining how bad symptoms may be:

Ragweed, grass and tree pollens thrive during cool nights and on warm days
Molds grow quickest in environments high in heat and humidity
Rainy conditions can wash away pollen, but pollen counts tend to soar post-rainfall
Airborne allergens are worse on windy days
Pollen counts are highest on windy, warm days and tend to peak in the mornings

Risk Factors for and Complications of Seasonal Allergies

You may be more likely to suffer from seasonal allergies if:

You have family members with seasonal allergies
Suffer from asthma or another allergic condition

Having seasonal allergies can also increase your risk of certain other medical problems, including:

Asthma. If you have an allergy, you are more likely to have asthma — an immune system reaction affecting the airways and breathing. In a lot of cases, asthma is triggered by exposure to an allergen in the environment.
Sinusitis and infections of the ears or lungs. Having hay fever or asthma can increase your risk for these conditions.

Behavioral Changes to Address Seasonal Allergies

Making some simple changes to your lifestyle and routine can help keep your seasonal allergy symptoms in check:

Reduce Your Exposure to Trigger Allergens

Take some steps to limit your exposure to the things that trigger your allergy symptoms:

Stay inside on windy, dry days. The ideal time for seasonal allergy sufferers to be outside is after a rainstorm, which helps clear pollen from the air
Have someone else do lawn work. Moving the lawn, pulling weeds, and doing other gardening chores can stir up allergens
Change your clothes and shower. Take off clothing and shower after you go outside to reduce the chances of pollen getting to your skin or hair
Don a mask. Wear a pollen mask if you have to do chores outside
Close the window. Keep windows closed while driving and at night – rely on the air conditioning on hot nights.

Stay on top of pollen counts

Information about current and forecasted pollen counts are available on the internet, in the newspaper, on the radio and on TV. You can start taking allergy medications ahead of time and make sure to keep your windows closed if you know the pollen counts will be high.7

Keep indoor air quality high

There are some strategies you can employ to keep your indoor air clean, including:7 Use air conditioning in both your house and the car Use a dehumidifier Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean the floors Use high-efficiency filters if you have forced air heating or air conditioning in the house

Over-the-Counter Seasonal Allergy Options

There are several non-prescription medications available at your local pharmacy to help quell your seasonal allergy symptoms. These include:

Decongestants. Oral decongestants can provide temporary relief from a stuffy nose. They are available in nasal spray form, and they shouldn’t be used for more than a few days in a row. Long-term use of nasal decongestants can exacerbate symptoms.
Nasal spray. Nasal spray cromolyn sodium can help alleviate allergy symptoms. The product works best if you use it before symptoms actually start.
Oral antihistamines. Products like loratadine (Claritin, Alavert), cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy) and fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy) can help address itching, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes.
Combination medications. Certain medications combine a decongestant with an antihistamine to get the benefits of both.

When to See a Doctor for Seasonal Allergies

For most people, trying to avoid allergens and taking over-the-counter medications as needed is enough to control seasonal allergy symptoms. If your symptoms are persistently bothersome or otherwise get in the way of you living life normally, you should not hesitate to see a doctor.

If you have bad seasonal allergies, your doctor may administer a skin or blood test to determine exactly what allergens are responsible for your symptoms. Results from testing can help inform you about steps you should take to avoid these specific allergens. Results can also help determine exactly which treatments are right for you.

Depending on your case, your doctor may prescribe allergy shots. This treatment, also called allergen immunotherapy or desensitization, involves injecting a little bit of your trigger allergen into your system regularly. This helps reduce your body’s overall immune response to that allergen, which helps to reduce the severity of symptoms.

Prescription tablets or drops may also be appropriate for you, although it is important to know these treatments only help address grass or ragweed allergies.