Your nose is running, your eyes are irritated, and you're extremely tired. At first, you might think you're getting sick, but then the sneezes start coming one after another. You're reminded that pollen season has begun…
Being a pollen allergy sufferer can be a real challenge during spring and summer when the air is filled with pollen. Here, we'll go through everything you need to know about pollen allergy and how you can alleviate your symptoms during the spring and summer pollen season.
Pollen – a necessary nuisance
Pollen is one part of the reproductive organs of flowering plants and conifers. Pollen ensures that our plants can spread and reproduce. In other words, it's a very important component of our nature.
Pollen spreads in several ways: via the wind, insects, or waterways. Airborne pollen grains often spread in abundant quantities. A single catkin on a birch tree can contain as many as five million pollen grains. It's therefore not surprising that birch pollen allergy is one of our most common pollen allergies.
What is pollen allergy?
Pollen allergy, also known as hay fever, is a bodily reaction that occurs when your immune system misinterprets pollen as something harmful and dangerous. Pollen itself is not dangerous, but your body reacts to proteins found in pollen as if they were dangerous to you. This reaction means that your immune system starts producing histamine, which in turn gives you your allergic symptoms.
Sometimes pollen allergy can be mistaken for a cold as they have similar symptoms. But there are some differences; if you have a sore throat, yellow snot, and possibly a fever, it's more likely that you have a cold than a pollen allergy.
Anyone can suffer from pollen allergy
There is no specific personality type that suffers from pollen allergy. What can be observed is that the risk is higher if you already have pollen allergy in the family, but anyone can become a pollen allergy sufferer.
Pollen allergy can also develop at any point in life. So, it's not something you need to be born with. It has become increasingly common for us to develop pollen allergy as we get older. Researchers believe this is because pollen levels have increased and the pollen season has become longer since the 1990s.
It is estimated that at least 20% of all people in Sweden have some form of pollen allergy, and the number is predicted to increase. Research has not yet been able to clarify why some of us get pollen allergy, while others are not affected at all.
Allergic reaction
Pollen allergy is a specific term for an allergic reaction caused by pollen.
The first phase of allergic reactions is itching and sneezing in the nose. It's also common to experience itchy eyes.
This, in turn, usually triggers other types of bothersome symptoms. The nose swells and becomes inflamed – making you congested and giving you a runny nose. In some cases, the bronchial tubes can also be affected, leading to difficulty breathing and a troublesome dry cough.
For pollen allergy, the most common symptoms are:
- Nasal congestion and runny nose
- Itchy nose
- Red, itchy eyes
- Fatigue, in some cases extreme lethargy
- Eczema and itching on the skin
Nasal congestion, runny nose, and swollen mucous membranes
These symptoms are due to pollen causing the mucous membranes in your nose to overreact, which triggers both a runny nose and causes the nose to swell and feel congested.
To alleviate the symptoms, you can treat your nose with allergy spray and/or lubricating nasal drops.
Red, itchy eyes
When allergens reach the conjunctiva of the eye, it becomes inflamed. The eyes then start to sting, itch, and water. It's also common to become sensitive to light.
To alleviate the symptoms, you can treat your eyes with allergy drops and/or lubricating eye drops.
Tired and lethargic
When you feel tired and lethargic due to pollen allergy, it's a sign that your immune system is working at full throttle. A large amount of energy is simply consumed, which results in you becoming tired. Another cause of fatigue can be the antihistamines in allergy medication, which can affect us in this way.
Eczema and itching
When the immune system tries to fight the proteins in pollen, histamines are released into your body. It is the histamines that cause allergic symptoms. When histamines are released in the skin, they cause itching and eczema.
To alleviate the symptoms, you should apply a moisturizing skin cream to the area.
We react differently to different pollens
The type of pollen we have an allergic reaction to can differ from person to person. Some of us may only experience symptoms from, for example, birch pollen, while others may react to everything from grass to various fungi.
The most common types of pollen that cause allergic reactions in the Nordic countries primarily come from deciduous trees. Here we find well-known trees such as alder, birch, and hazel. Other typical causes of pollen allergy are grass and mugwort. The top three allergic reactions from pollen are usually grass, mugwort, and birch pollen. This is because these three are wind-pollinated, meaning they are spread by the wind.
In spring, birch pollen is primarily dominant, during the summer, grass pollen takes over, and in late summer, mugwort pollen is usually the largest source of pollen allergies.
We all react to pollen with different intensity, and for some, prescription allergy medications are necessary, while others manage fine with over-the-counter options. Others have such mild symptoms that they may not even be aware that they are experiencing an allergic reaction.
How you can alleviate pollen allergy symptoms
One of the first things you can do is keep track of the pollen levels in the air where you live. Follow the pollen report so that you can be prepared and know what type of pollen you are allergic to. When the reports show that pollen season is approaching, you should start taking allergy medication, even if you don't feel any symptoms. It is always better to prevent symptoms than to try to relieve them once they have already started.
In addition to allergy medication, you can actually do a lot to secure both your home and yourself during pollen season.
Secure your home against pollen
- Keep windows and doors closed during the day
- Ventilate only at night or early dawn when pollen levels are at their lowest
- Install pollen filters in ventilation windows
- Change clothes after being outdoors.
- Shower before going to bed
- Place an air purifier where you sleep so you can sleep in a fresh air environment
- Avoid drying clothes and other textiles outdoors
- Do not bring outdoor plants into the home
- Avoid contact with pets that spend time outdoors, as they bring in pollen via their fur
- Quit smoking and avoid tobacco smoke, as smoke worsens allergic symptoms
- Rain reduces pollen levels in the air
Keep the air free from pollen
Many times, it is not enough to stay indoors during pollen season. Pollen has a way of finding its way into our homes regardless. Pollen can enter through open windows, groceries, friends, and pets, to name a few. In other words, it is difficult to completely avoid pollen during the season.
If you can keep the indoor air in your home fresh and clean from pollen, you gain a lot.
Create a "pollen-free" zone in your home
During peak pollen season, it can be both beneficial and comforting to try to create a pollen-free zone in your home where you keep pollen away as much as possible. The best place for this is the bedroom.
Make sure you never enter the pollen-free zone with clothes you've worn outdoors, and ideally, shower beforehand. Keep any pets and visitors out of your pollen-free zone.
Install a pollen air purifier with a good filter in the room and let it keep the air clean and free from pollen and other irritating particles.
Having a place in your home where you can escape when pollen season is at its worst is priceless.
Is pollen allergy dangerous?
Pollen allergy itself is not dangerous. However, the reactions caused by the allergy can lead to various problems. Primarily, it's about a reduced quality of life where you cannot move freely in certain environments without medication. Sometimes these reactions can also cause genuinely health-threatening problems if the situation becomes strained. Pollen allergy can, for example, trigger asthma, which in turn can lead to shortness of breath, a dangerous condition.
If you have such severe allergy symptoms that you are negatively affected every day, you should seek medical help. This is especially true if you are coughing and experiencing shortness of breath during pollen season. This could be a sign that you are developing asthma.
Living with pollen allergy
For most people, living as usual during pollen season is not a major problem. Today's allergy medications are effective, and there are several types that do not make you tired, which was common in the past.
The greatest discomforts of pollen allergy almost always occur when we are not prepared to be exposed to pollen. Therefore, make sure you take your allergy medication well in advance before pollen season really begins.
The internet makes it easy to keep track of pollen levels in the air, and there are smart air purifiers for your home that can clean the air of pollen. With a little strategic thinking, you can create a daily life where most things can flow as usual.
