Allergy Season Is Expected to Last Longer This Year — Here's What to Know

If your seasonal allergies seem to already be in full effect this year, it's not all in your imagination. Experts are saying that because of climate change, the spring season has arrived earlier and is lasting longer over the past few decades.

In fact, a recent study found that North American pollen seasons became 20 days longer between 1990 and 2018, with more pollen and, in some cases, "more potent pollen," says Perry E. Sheffield, MD, MPH, Mount Sinai associate professor of environmental medicine and public health — and it appears it'll only get worse from here on out.

A study published in Nature Communications conducted by the University of Michigan found that pollen allergy season could start up to 40 days earlier and last 19 days longer by the year 2100 due to climate change. Temperature and rain changes alone would increase annual United States pollen emissions by up to 40 percent, according to the study's climate scientists, and factoring in carbon-dioxide emissions could cause a 250 percent increase in annual pollen emissions.

Exact pollen changes will differ depending on the types of plants and where you live, PhD candidate and lead author Yingxiao Zhang told NBC News. However, the study projects that the timing of different plant pollens (tree pollens in the spring, grass pollens in the summer, and weed pollens in the fall) could create new overlap, leading to higher pollen concentrations.

Why does climate change affect pollen, exactly? Rising temperatures, precipitation, and the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere all impact plants' pollen emissions, Zhang says. Generally speaking, CO2 acts like a fertilizer for plants, making them grow faster or bigger. And "the CO2 fertilization effect can mean the plant makes more pollen," Dr. Sheffield told PS. Plus, Tania Mucci-Elliott, MD, an allergist at NYU Langone Health, told POPSUGAR last year that warmer temperatures "and above-average rainfall mean earlier tree budding and more pollen."

The takeaway? Longer and more intense pollen seasons are expected to exacerbate both pollen allergies and asthma, according to the Nature Communications study. Dr. Sheffield echoes that sentiment, stressing that if you don't already know how to manage your allergies, it's time to start figuring out what works for you, whether that's avoiding pollen altogether or taking medication to help control your symptoms.

Common pollen allergy symptoms include runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, watery and itchy eyes, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, sore throat, and itchy rashes, according to both Lakiea Wright, MD, MPH, board-certified allergist and associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Purvi Parikh, MD, national spokesperson for the Allergy & Asthma Network. Here are their tips to help mitigate your symptoms during a prolonged allergy season, whether you are allergic to pollen or have asthma that's triggered by pollen.

Dr. Wright notes that it's important for people with asthma to talk to their doctor to ensure they're on the appropriate medication, especially if they're triggered by pollen. Additionally, she says some people with seasonal allergies are allergic to more than one allergen, so consider getting tested to identify those allergens and come up with a treatment plan.