If you have seasonal allergies, then pollen is your biggest enemy in the fall and spring. Plants produce pollen, a yellow powder to fertilize other plants. Meanwhile, pollen covers cars or anything that is left outside, and that makes people sneeze. The air during warm days and cool nights of fall and spring is covered with trees, grass, and ragweed’s pollen. In many areas of the United States, pollen counts are the highest in February and early summer. Plants deliver pollen in the time of August to November in the fall, and September is usually the worst month. To know what is the pollen count and how to determine the count in your area, Read the blog.
Pollen counts are the quantity of pollen measured in your area. Researchers are measuring pollen counts for more than 100 years now. Counts measured till the time have become more precise and accessible. This news is good for those who are suffering from pollen allergies. They need these reports to manage their allergies and symptoms.
The local weather reports contain the pollen counts of your area. There are weather apps too that give allergy forecasts and pollen counts on your mobile phones. Weather Channel is one of the examples of these apps.
You must restrict your exposure to pollen if you are suffering from seasonal allergies. Keep a regular check on the pollen counts. It will help you know when it safe for you to go outside and enjoy and when you should stay indoors. Pollen count actually increases when there is more pollution in the air.
What is the Pollen Count?
It is always good to keep a check on the predictions of the pollen counts, especially when you have plans to go outside for a long time. And if you are planning to stay outside around plants or grass, then use a dust mask. That will help you in preventing the activation of your allergies.
Also, it is not necessary that you will be affected by the high pollen count that is predicted in your smartphone app, TV, or on newspapers. There are different types of pollen- pollen from different types of trees, grass, and different variety of weeds. Consequently, a high pollen count does not always mean the pollen measured is of strong concentration to which you are specifically allergic. The opposite situation can also be true, of course. The pollen count might not be high, but you can still you can find yourself that triggers your allergies.
An allergist can help you in figuring out which pollen brings out your symptoms by testing. You can also find the medications that work best against your triggers and relieve you of allergies.
Understanding Pollen Counts: It’s Not Always The Full Story
Pollen counting services record the pollen levels every day across the country. The trained and certified counters use the machines that count the pollen in the air. The machines are usually placed on the roof. They measure the amount of parasitic growth (mold) in the air too. Mold is another seasonal allergen and is common too. The machines use special kinds of traps or rods to catch the pollen. The amount occurring in the pollen machines at that time shows how much pollen is present in the air at that instant. A pollen count shows how many pollen grains are present in a cubic meter of air. You are more likely to acquire the symptoms of the allergy if you go outdoors when the pollen count is high. The counters also show which type of pollen is highest in the air at that instant. Also, there are some cases when the counters have to send the pollen to a lab to interpret which type of pollen it is.
Pollen forecast and pollen count are two different things. The forecast is estimating how much pollen will be present in your area. Forecasters use the pollen counts and the weather of the last few years to prognosticate the pollen levels. On the other hand, the pollen count is the measurement of the pollen grains present in the air that day. It is not necessary that the pollen count and the pollen forecast would match.
Some pollen counting services record the pollen count differently. Pollen counters usually record the levels as absent, low, moderate, high, or very high. And some other services similarly record the pollen counts as low, lowmedium, medium-high and high.
What to Do for High Pollen Counts?
If the pollen counts are high and you have stern seasonal allergies then the best thing to do is stay indoors. And if you need to go somewhere outside, then follow these steps to control the allergies:
- Wear an allergy mask till the time you are out.
- Turn on the air conditioner in your home and your car too.
- Pets carry pollen on their fur. So, wipe them off when they come in from outdoors.
- As soon as you step inside your house, take a shower first and make sure to shampoo your hair to wash the pollen off.
- Wear sunglasses and a hat. It will help to prevent the pollen out of your eyes and hair.
- Keep the windows of your home and car closed.
Keep a check on your local pollen count every day just the way you check the weather and then plan your day. This will help you in taking good care of your allergies and also to manage them by following the above-listed step. Check for the cities with the highest pollen count here.
