Hay Fever: Second Sneezy Season Gets Underway

Contrary to common wisdom, spring isn’t the only time hay fever sufferers need to keep a tissue handy to combat the sniffles, coughs and itchy eyes. Experts say that the year’s second sneezing season is already well underway by mid-August and ragweed is one of the biggest culprits this time of year.

While not quite as potent as the spring time bout, the Cleveland Clinic notes that up to one third of Americans with allergic rhinitis are likely to experience the same problems they had back in April and May.

There is a different brand of irritant in the air this time of year. Mark Aronica at the Cleveland Clinic explains that while spring allergens are generally trees and grasses, fall allergens are generally weeds. The most common is ragweed, a member of the daisy family that blooms in late summer. The Asthma and Allergy Center says its the potent pollen, which can float as far as 400 miles from the original plant, that affects as many as 22 million Americans.

Other fall botanical felons include nettle, sagebrush, and the poetically-named tumbleweed which is actually the top of a plant that breaks off from the rest and rolls–or “tumbles”–along the ground.

Whatever triggers your sneezes, climate may intensify the effect. For example, although a good rainfall tends to wash pollen particles down to the ground, windy days intensify the number dancing in the air. And the warmer the weather, the faster mold multiplies which is why it may be less problematic in cool April then in hot August and September.

Age is counts. In 2017, a group of Greek researchers found that kids with hay fever had more severe symptoms than grownups and are more likely than adults to have severe ones such as fever. Ordinarily, adults with hay fever have had it since childhood and will have it pretty much forever, but in some cases, it seems to pop up in later life.

Right now, no one knows exactly why.

There’s no way to get rid of the allergy, but there are some ways to mitigate its effects. Start by tracking the allergen counts that show up in TV and newspaper weather reports and usually include the time of day when the pollen count is likely to be most irritating.

If the count is high, it might not make sense to spending tons of time outdoors. But if you are a sever hay feverer suffer and still want or need to go outside when the pollen count is high, consider wearing one of those N95 filter masks that so annoyed you during the COVID years.

Once back inside, head for the soap and water. Wash your hands and face to wipe away pollen particles, change your clothes and maybe toss the outside ones in the laundry. Finally, or maybe first, even on days when the sun is gorgeous and the air seems clear, close the windows, and turn on the air conditioner to keep pollen outside.

If you’ve checked off everything on this list but still can’t kick the sniffles and sneezes, it may be time to see an allergy specialist. “We can do a skin test to identify a patient’s specific allergens and to determine if there are additional pollens or if they have a perennial allergy,” Dr. Aronica says. Besides, not all runny noses are due to allergies. A skin test will also show whether you’re indeed experiencing allergies. If not, you’ll know to seek continued medical input to figure out what’s causing your symptoms.