Why Are Pollen Levels Making Hay Fever So Bad This Year?

Pollen levels are forecast to beryllium precocious aliases very precocious successful galore parts of nan UK complete nan coming days.

The good powder released by definite grasses, trees and plants tin origin chaos for those who are allergic to pollen.

Itchy eyes, sneezing, dripping noses, scratchy throats, disrupted slumber and headaches are each signs of hay fever.

Around 1 successful 5 group are allergic to pollen and nan main culprit is usually grass, though trees tin besides trigger symptoms.

Early summertime is often highest pollen season, erstwhile nan number of grains of pollen successful nan aerial multiplies.

The lukewarm upwind seen successful nan UK successful 2024 and successful nan first half of 2025 intends conditions person been perfect for birch character pollen - a awesome hay fever trigger.

Warm, barren days thief dispersed pollen done nan air, creating what's been dubbed a "pollen bomb".

Cities often person little pollen counts than successful nan countryside, but nan contamination successful municipality areas tin really make symptoms worse.

In nan agelong term, it's apt that nan changing ambiance will besides person an effect connected hay fever.

Changing temperatures and rainfall could make nan pollen play longer and summation nan attraction of pollen successful nan air.

• Why your eyes are truthful itchy today
• Warm upwind intends hay fever play has started early

There's nary cure for hay fever, but location are medicines which tin thief you consciousness a spot better.

Allergy master Professor Stephen Till, from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals successful London, recommends "a cocktail approach", which intends taking:

• antihistamine tablets aliases drops that don't thin to make you consciousness sleepy and are agelong acting
• a steroid nasal spray, and
• eye drops

"They each activity successful different ways and are each secure for astir group - conscionable spell to a drugstore for advice," Prof Till says.

These products tin each beryllium bought complete nan antagonistic successful your section chemist.

Some types activity amended for immoderate group than others, and prices vary, truthful it's important to find nan 1 that's champion for you.

Antihistamine medicines thief dampen down your body's allergic guidance to pollen. You tin commencement taking them 3 aliases 4 days earlier pollen counts commencement to rise.

One thought is to support a diary of symptoms and medicines, truthful you tin show nan pharmacist what you've already tested out.

• What useful to thief pinch nan symptoms of hay fever?
• How to slumber successful nan heat
• What do heatwaves do to nan body?

Avoiding hay fever triggers is basal too, says pharmacist Ashley Cohen from Leeds.

"I ever opportunity it's astir bully hygiene - pollen sits connected your look and arms erstwhile you spell outside, truthful person a ablution and alteration your apparel erstwhile you travel in."

And he warns that pets are "brilliant vehicles" for bringing pollen into your house.

The NHS also recommends:

• putting nasal balm aliases petroleum jelly astir your nostrils to trap pollen
• wearing sunglasses, a disguise aliases a wide-brimmed sun chapeau to extremity pollen getting into your chemoreceptor and eyes
• vacuuming and dusting your location regularly
• trying retired a pollen select successful nan aerial vents of your car

Also, effort to avoid:

• cut writer aliases stepping connected grass
• keeping caller flowers successful nan house
• smoking aliases being astir smokers
• drying apparel outside

"Ninety percent of group pinch hay fever tin beryllium managed pinch over-the-counter medication," says pharmacist Ashley Cohen.

If your hay fever becomes really debilitating, your GP tin mention you to a master - but that will return a while.

Immunotherapy curen mightiness beryllium disposable for nan worst affected. That's erstwhile mini amounts of pollen are injected into nan assemblage complete clip to get it utilized to nan substance, truthful that it nary longer overreacts.

The NHS stopped offering nan steroid injection Kenalog years agone for hay fever because of nan consequence of superior side-effects.

The kindness Allergy UK does not urge anyone usage it either, and private clinics are nary longer allowed to advertise nan drug.

Most group pinch hay fever are allergic to writer pollen, whereas bees pollinate flowers and immoderate flowering trees truthful nan pollen successful chromatic is simply a different type.

Whether section chromatic made from section bees tin trim hay fever symptoms has been tested - but there's nary grounds to show it has immoderate effect.

Clarification 27 June 2025: This article has been amended to explain that bees pollinate immoderate flowering trees. It had antecedently stated that they don't pollinate trees.