Just when we’ve gotten over grass pollen season and think that allergies won’t attack until next year, fall allergies make their presence known. While most people only associate spring with allergies, symptoms may rear their head in the fall, too. If you’re someone who’s noticed more sneezing, itching, and sniffling as the days grow shorter, this article will help you understand the cause of fall allergies and—most importantly—what you can do about them.
Allergies in the Fall? Why and How
According to America’s Allergy Research Organization, the number one cause of autumn allergies is ragweed. In mid-August, when the days start to get significantly shorter, ragweed begins to bloom and produce pollen. This common weed is especially prominent in rural areas in the East and Midwest and causes allergy symptoms for roughly 15% of Americans.
But even if you don’t live in these areas, you may still be impacted by ragweed pollen. Just a single plant can produce up to a billion pollen grains, which can travel hundreds of miles! Plus, ragweed will continue to flower up until the first frost, meaning allergy symptoms that last until early winter.
As wind and high humidity may be more common in the fall, mold and mildew can also lead to allergy symptoms in the autumn. When compost or leaf piles undergo the decomposition process, they produce heat, which in turn provides the perfect environment for mold and mildew to thrive. Similarly, a warm, damp bathroom or basement may become home to these contaminants.
Until they become dormant in the winter, mold and mildew may spread more rapidly in the autumn—releasing lots of spores in the process. In turn, many experience watery eyes, sinus pain, coughing, sneezing, and other mold-related allergy symptoms.
As if that’s not enough to worry about, fall temperatures in the 60s to mid-70s are more habitable for dustmites, another potential allergen. No matter how often you clean, these tiny insects will be drawn to your shedded skin, and you’re more likely to notice them when their population sizes peak in the fall. They’ll be another allergen to deal with until they die off in the extreme cold of winter.
Combined with the year-round threat of pet dander or even allergies to fruits and vegetables, falling leaves and pumpkin spice lattes are likely to coincide with lots of sniffling and sneezing, too. Allergens like ragweed, mold, mildew, and dust mites are an autumn concern for hundreds of thousands of people around the US. But they don’t have to be.
Don’t Fall Victim to Autumn Allergies: What to Do to Stop the Symptoms
Fortunately, we can still enjoy all of autumn’s splendor without constantly racing for the tissues. There are ways to combat fall allergies without requiring medicine, too.
In addition to reducing possible allergens (i.e. removing leaves from the yard, using a dehumidifier in a moist basement, and vacuuming to get rid of dander), an air purifier can be our best friend come fall.
Instead of turning to antihistamines that make us drowsy or lining our medicine cabinets with decongestants, an AirDoctor HEPA Air Purifier provides a natural way to tackle seasonal allergies.
Before you put something in your body, you can equip your indoor space with a perfectly-sized purifier. Its UltraHEPA filter and 3-step filtration system will clean the air in your home and trap ozone, VOC, smoke, bacteria, viruses, and allergens like pet dander, pollen, and mold. With whisper-quiet fans, it won’t interrupt your pre-Halloween scary movie nights, either!
Providing best-in-class air purification capabilities, an AirDoctor is just as essential as cozy sweaters and apple cider this season.
Breathe Easy, All Year Long
Even if you’re fortunate enough to not suffer from spring and/or fall allergies, poor air quality (from traffic jams and more) provides more than enough reason to bring an AirDoctor into your home. If you do notice increased sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes as the weather gets cooler, then an AirDoctor is a must-have. We’ll be here to provide powerful purification to protect your home, provide peace of mind, and make each and every breath a whole lot safer.
