We've officially entered "am I sick or is it allergies?" territory.

Pollen Allergies

It's that time of year (again) where everyone's noses are stuffy, maybe a little runny, and you're wondering if you're getting sick or just dealing with allergies.  Unfortunately for us, we have multiple pollen seasons in the United States.  According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), pollen is the most common trigger of seasonal allergies (or hay fever, as some folks like to call it).

The pollen seasons described by AAFA for the United States are as follows:

• February – April: Trees (some regions start as early as December or January)
• April – early June: Grasses
• August − first hard frost: Weeds

What Causes Pollen Allergies?

Pollen allergies are more common when plants release pollen grains into the air to fertilize other plants. These pollen grains are carried by the wind, which is how they end up in our eyes, noses, and more.

The AAFA says this is what triggers our allergy symptoms, which are things like:

• Runny nose
• Stuffy nose
• Postnasal drip
• Sneezing
• Itchy nose, eyes, ears, etc...
• Red/watery eyes
• Swelling around the eyes
• Coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

You can learn more about common pollen allergies and ways to treat them through the AAFA. 

Noticing Your Allergies Acting Up Lately?

Both of my kids have terrible allergies just like I do, and lately they've both had runny noses with no other symptoms, it turns out these runny noses aren't due to illnesses, they're due to the awful allergen levels we have right now across Indiana.

The Indiana Weather Network shared the following on September 2nd:

HIGH allergen levels the next couple of days! If your allergies have been bad recently you are not alone! High you very high allergen levels will remain in place over the next couple of days!

Main allergens:

● Dust

● weeds such as ragweed, chenopods, & nettles.

● grasses