When Does Hay Fever(allergic rhinitis) Occur?

Many people assume that hay fever occurs exclusively in the spring. While symptoms are often strong in the spring, the condition can plague people all throughout the year, even during winter in cold climates.

Spring is often hay fever season for many allergy sufferers. This is mostly due to pollen released from trees and other plants. To reproduce, many plants rely on the breeze to spread their pollen. To blow in the wind and spread as far as possible, pollen needs to be extremely small and light. As the pollen blows in the wind, people will often inhale it, triggering their allergies.

Flowers are often thought of as causes for hay fever, but they rely on bees and other insects to spread their pollen, rather than the wind. These plants have pollen that is quite dense, clumpy, sticky, and heavy.

So, it’s not the fields of flowers that you should avoid, it’s actually the woods!

Pollen can travel an incredible distance, especially when the wind is high. While most pollen will only travel a few hundred meters from its source, it’s not unheard of for pollen to travel as far as a thousand miles.

The lesson? You don’t have to be near the woods or prairies to suffer from hay fever, as the pollen can easily make its way to you.