Seasonal allergies tend to make you feel worse than the previous year.
So yes, you are right about it.
Allergies are getting severer and longer every year, and the reason is none other than climate change, more specifically, pollen.
The rising allergies impact human lifestyle in every aspect, including work performance, educational performance, healthcare hazards, and increased spending on cure and treatment.
Based on the season, respective allergies tend to make their way to people throughout the year. For example, the time period of February to May is when trees spread their pollen.
From April onwards, September Grasses cause allergies. The August to November time period is when weeds are spread. From December to February, we must be conscious of mold and dust because their impacts aggregate in severe cold.
This pollen and allergies timeline highlights how it has become impossible for people not to get caught by allergies at least once throughout the year.
Table of Contents
What are the Triggers of Allergies Worsening?
Climate Change
The common perception of people that allergy season is getting worse is accurate. However, research has proved that pollen season now starts several days early and ends several days after as per its timeline in the previous decades.
Sneezing, coughing, and itching are not only becoming common these days, but it takes a lot more time to recover from it than it used to take a few years ago. The extreme climate changes and several human activities are blamed for it.
Gone are the times when allergies were simply seasonal as, in the present, allergies tend to hinder our heads throughout the year. The prime responsibility for increasing allergies due to climate change is surely pollen.
Amid increasing human-driven activities, carbon-dioxide emission, and the greenhouse effect, it has become common for trees to spread their pollen all year round. In addition, since the industrial revolution, the earth’s average temperature increase has affected plants abundantly.
Extreme temperature conditions and pollen do not go well, hazarding human health. With time, the role of climate change in pollen release is accelerating, resulting in the emission and spread of more allergenic pollens.
Indoor Allergy Sources
A few years ago, it was common among the masses that you would not catch allergies if you didn’t go outside. But, looking at the present situation of allergies, it is evident that this notion does not make any sense.
The air we breathe is filled with hazards like pollen, and even if we spend most of our time indoors, we breathe the air with pollen, making us equally exposed to catching allergies.
In addition, the dust particles and mold indoors are more hazardous than outdoor pollen. Unlike outdoor pollen, indoor dust and mold are more dangerous because they inhale while sleeping.
Dust mites within sofas and beddings are another prominent reason people regularly catch allergies. In addition, the growth of mole spores in moist environments indoors causes severe allergies like asthma.
Humidity also plays a vital role in dust and mole inhalation within homes.
Pet dander is another factor acting as an indoor allergy source. In the winters, pets’ dander is one of the reasons people get allergies like sneezing, flu, and fever.
Thus, indoor allergens also play a vital role in making allergies worse.
Allergies Intersection
You’re mistaken if you think going through one allergy makes you less vulnerable to others. The opposite to it is the truth. If a person experiences an allergy, he is at a higher risk of experiencing another, resulting in severer outcomes.
Atopic Triad, i.e., eczema, asthma, and respiratory allergies, is the prime example of allergies intersection. For example, if a person has asthma, his body goes through different reactions that cause him to experience all three of these allergies.
This is probably because when a person gets an allergy, his body’s self-defense weakens, providing a less guarded path to other allergies. Therefore, balancing and maintaining the immune system is extremely important.
Allergies and COVID-19
The intensity of the pollen release has continuously been rising. Even with COVID-19, when people were taking more of their immune system, the allergies’ power was still high because pollen release was not getting any better.
The onslaught of pollen has impacted many people in the pandemic year to go through severer and longer allergy cycles. Although these allergy symptoms are not deadly like COVID-19, the rise in their severity has undoubtedly been a challenge for both healthcare workers and people.
Distinguishing allergy cases from coronavirus at first was a significant debate. Still, with time, healthcare and climate change professionals have agreed that the rise in pollen count is causing more allergies.
How Can We Overcome Allergy Haul?
- Limiting your exposure to pollens is the only way to reduce the chances of catching an allergy.
- If not necessary, don’t go outside. If you are required to go, wear a mask and cover yourself to limit your exposure to pollens.
- Take a shower and get changed every time you go outside.
- While staying indoors, keep windows and doors closed to reduce the chances of indoor air being polluted with pollens.
- Opts for home-based anticipatory cures if you feel like catching an allergy.
- Always go for thorough checkups before concluding what allergy you have contacted.
- A full-fledge checkup every six months or so is the best way to improve your immunity, and beware of your chances to contact and any allergy.
- Use an air purifier.
Bottom Line
The drastic change in climate and abundance of pollen released in the air is causing allergies to get worse every year.
Indoor and outdoor environment somehow causes allergies, so taking preventive measures is the only way to reduce your chances of getting an allergic reaction.
