Why is pollen so bad

His parting advice? For more information about Penn Primary Care , click here. Search for: Search. However, this May was unusually wet and cool, which means many people did not begin noticing symptoms until the temperatures started climbing rapidly in June. Tree pollen is the first to be released, typically starting in late March and affecting around 25 per cent of people. However, most people are allergic to grass pollen, which usually starts in the first two weeks of June. How bad your hay fever symptoms are also depends on where you live.

According to the Met Office , urban areas have lower pollen counts than the countryside, and places inland have higher counts than around the coast. As the earth warms as a result of climate change, pollen season is lasting longer and there is generally more of it in the air, all of which is bad news for hay fever sufferers.

Scientists warn that this season is only going to get worse if the climate crisis continues in its current trajectory. Modelling in a study spanning north west Europe suggests that climate change will increase the severity of hay fever season by up to 60 per cent.

She says this is expected given an increase in pollen in the air. Compared to previous years, Ellis said some parts of Canada experienced an earlier start to tree pollen season beginning in April rather than May.

With tree pollen appearing earlier, Ellis said it starts to circulate as soon as warmer, spring weather moves in, making allergy season longer and insufferable. Additionally, Ellis said grass pollen season has not changed and "seems to start pretty much on time every year" around May Canadians have more allergies to pollen than any other allergen, according to Statistics Canada. As of , 27 per cent of Canadians reported that they had allergies, and of that population, 40 per cent were allergic to pollens or grasses.

Susan Waserman, an allergist, clinical immunologist and professor of medicine at McMaster University, says certain cities in Canada are worse for pollen than others. She added that the changes in pollen season are likely linked to climate change. According to Health Canada , symptoms of allergies include sneezing, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, flushed face, peeling rash similar to eczema, and red, itchy, swollen eyes.

Unless properly treated, she said those with allergies may suffer from persistent symptoms that may lead to difficulty sleeping and concentrating. She says this may impact one's performance at school or work. Additionally, Waserman said persistent allergy symptoms can create complications such as worsening asthma. After more than a year of rigorous mask-wearing, it's been a little surreal to see so many people pulling their coverings off while they're outside.

But besides getting used to seeing people's chins again, you may have also noticed something else: A lot of people are looking a little red around the nose. Maybe you're even feeling it yourself. Seasonal allergies have been absolutely killer this year. But are they worse than usual, or are we just noticing it more right now, since with the end of the pandemic hopefully in sight, we're all going outdoors more often and ditching the masks that may have kept pollen away from our nostrils last year?

Anecdotally, people online have been commiserating over all manner of allergy symptoms and speculating why they feel worse than ever. And the science proves it: Allergies are worse this year. According to recent research and forecasting, is shaping up to be a brutal allergy year.