This Allergy Season Will Be Bad: Tips To Protect Yourself
Brace Yourself! This Allergy Season Is Brutal—Here’s How to Stay Safe
Allergy season is picking up across the U.S.—and it’s on track to be a nasty one. According to VOX, this season will be worse than previous seasons due to the ongoing climate change crisis.
Warmer temperatures across the globe have created the perfect breeding ground for pollen to thrive year-round. Winter used to offer a much-needed break from this irritable time of year, but now, pollen is making an appearance earlier each year, sticking around longer, and showing up in higher concentrations than ever before, according to Kenneth Mendez, the CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
“In the springtime, the first pollen allergens are from trees, and that is starting 20 days earlier than it did 30 years ago,” Mendez explained to VOX in March, noting how increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are prompting plants to generate more pollen and prolonging the warm conditions that stimulate pollen production.
“I’ve never had allergies before and now I suddenly feel like I have allergies,’ or ‘I feel like my allergies are getting a lot worse,’ and that’s because the allergic load is that much higher because of climate change,” Mendez said.
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Some areas are getting hit especially hard by this year’s relentless allergy season. In March, Atlanta shattered its previous pollen count record, reaching an eye-watering 14,801 grains per cubic meter—thanks to a heavy surge from pine, oak, and birch trees, 11Alive reported.
Meanwhile, the AAFA ranked Wichita, Kansas, as the No. 1 Allergy Capital for 2025—for the third year in a row. The city earned this title due to worse-than-average levels of tree and grass pollen, high usage of allergy medications, and a lower-than-average number of board-certified allergists and immunologists.
Other cities making the top five allergy hotspots include New Orleans, Louisiana; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Memphis, Tennessee—all of which are expected to keep residents sneezing, sniffling, and reaching for tissues as pollen counts soar.
What can you do to protect yourself from bad allergies?
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, over 100 million people in the U.S. deal with some form of allergy—from seasonal allergies and eczema to food sensitivities. Nearly 1 in 3 adults and more than 1 in 4 children in the U.S. are affected by at least one of these common allergic conditions.
If you’re one of the millions affected by this issue, here are a few tips to keep you healthy and thriving this allergy season. To minimize allergy symptoms, it’s important to reduce your exposure to common triggers like pollen. Try to stay indoors on dry, windy days, and plan outdoor activities after a rainfall, when the air is clearer, Mayo Clinic notes.
Avoid yard work that can stir up allergens, such as mowing the lawn or pulling weeds, and if you do venture outside, change your clothes and shower afterward to wash away any lingering pollen. Skip hanging laundry outdoors—pollen can cling to fabrics—and consider wearing a mask for outdoor chores.
During peak pollen seasons, monitor local pollen forecasts and start allergy medications early if high counts are expected. Keep windows and doors closed, especially in the early morning when pollen levels tend to be highest. Inside your home, improve air quality by using air conditioning and high-efficiency filters, maintaining HVAC systems, and using a dehumidifier to keep air dry. A HEPA filter in your bedroom and a vacuum with a HEPA filter can also help reduce allergens and keep your space cleaner and more comfortable.
You got this!
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