ATLANTA — For millions across the United States, allergy season can be a real ordeal. As trees, grasses, and other plants release pollen, many people experience runny noses, itchy eyes, and bouts of sneezing and coughing.

Your geographical location, specific allergens, and lifestyle choices significantly influence how severely you experience allergies. Experts highlight that climate change is contributing to longer and more intense allergy seasons. However, they also note that treatments for seasonal allergies have seen considerable improvements over the past decade.

Experts offer several strategies to help manage allergy symptoms, potentially allowing you to enjoy outdoor activities more comfortably.

New cities top the list of ‘allergy capitals’

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America annually ranks cities on how challenging they are for allergy sufferers. This ranking is based on factors like over-the-counter medication usage, pollen levels, and the number of allergists available.

This year’s top five challenging cities for allergy sufferers are Boise, Idaho; San Diego, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Provo, Utah; and Rochester, New York.

Pollen helps plants reproduce – and makes us miserable

Pollen, a fine powder produced by seed-bearing plants and trees, plays a key role in plant reproduction. During early spring, tree pollen is the primary allergen. This is followed by grass pollination, with weeds taking over in late summer and early autumn.

Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.

Here’s how to track pollen levels

Pollen trackers can help you decide when to go outside. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.

The first step is to try to avoid pollen altogether

The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. Keep the windows in your car and your home closed, even when it’s nice outside.

If you go outside, wearing long sleeves can keep pollen off your skin to help ward off allergic reactions, said Dr. James Baker, an allergist at the University of Michigan. It also provides some sun protection, he added.

When you get home, change your clothes and shower daily to ensure all the pollen is off of you – including your hair. If you can’t wash your hair every day, try covering it when you go outside with a hat or scarf. Don’t get in the bed with your outside clothes on, because the pollen will follow.

It’s also useful to rinse your eyes and nose with saline to remove any pollen, experts said. And the same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies – though they won’t help with eye symptoms.

How to relieve allergy symptoms

Over-the-counter nasal sprays are among the most effective treatments for seasonal allergies, experts said.

But patients often use them incorrectly, irritating parts of the nose, said Dr. Kathleen May, an allergist at Augusta University in Georgia. She suggested angling the nozzle outward toward your ear rather than sticking it straight up your nose.

Over-the-counter allergy pills like Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec are helpful, but may not be as effective as quickly since they’re taken by mouth, experts said.

If your allergy symptoms are impacting your quality of life, like causing you to lose sleep or loose focus at work or school, it might be time to consider making an appointment with an allergist. There are medications that can train you immune system not to overreact to allergens.

Some remedies for allergy relief that have been circulating on social media or suggested by celebrities – like incorporating local honey into your diet to expose yourself to pollen – have been debunked.

Dr. Shyam Joshi, an allergist at Oregon Health and Science University, said that’s because the flowers that bees pollinate typically don’t contain the airborne pollen that causes allergy symptoms.

Is allergy season changing?

Winters are milder and growing seasons are longer as the climate is changing, meaning there’s more opportunity for pollen to stay in the air, resulting in longer and more severe allergy seasons.

Last year was one of the most intense allergy seasons on record, particularly in the Southeast U.S.

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A version of this story was published April 19, 2025. The writer is no longer with The Associated Press.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.