Spring is in the air, which means pollen won’t be far behind. To keep you and your sinuses happy, you should stay cautious.

Pollen allergies are common in the United States according to Zyrtec. With over 19.2 million Americans suffering from these seasonal allergies, odds are this impacts you or someone you love.

To understand why pollen is such a pressing issue, you first must understand what exactly pollen is.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, otherwise known as the ACAAI, explains why pollen occurs and it’s importance in the spring time.

Pollen, the fine yellow powder you see in the center of flowers, is critical to the survival of all plants. Carried by the wind or other creatures, pollen spreads from plant to plant allowing them to reproduce.

Because the goal of pollen is to spread as far and fast as possible for plant survival, “that can mean misery for seasonal allergy sufferers” states the ACAAI.

This irritating yellow substance is crucial to the survival of plant life on earth, so it isn’t going to be a brief issue. Every spring, it will be time for plants to spread and pollen will be back at it again.

So, the only option we have is to protect from and treat the symptoms of pollen allergies. To do so, we should know what a pollen allergy looks like.

For most people, symptoms include sneezing, congestions, itchy throat, itchy eyes, runny nose, watery eyes, and wheezing. For those with asthma, they typically find that their allergies are aggravated.

These won’t be symptoms you experience year-round. Instead, they occur specifically when pollen counts are high, like in the spring and summer.

While the ACAAI suggests looking into immunotherapy such as allergy shots or medications, there are additional precautions that can be taken.

Nemours Kids Health explains that a combination of medication and preventative measures is the best way to reduce allergy symptoms.

Around the time of the year where your pollen allergies emerge, there are precautions you can take to make the season less exhausting. The precautions suggested by Nemours are as follows.

1. Watch the pollen counts! If pollen counts are higher, take extra measures to ensure that you are protected.
2. Take your allergy medication, it can’t help if it isn’t in your system.
3. Avoid going outside, and if you do, shower, and change once you return indoors.
4. Keep windows and doors, including those in your car, shut as often as possible.
5. Avoid outdoor chores like mowing the grass or raking leaves, when possible, otherwise wear an air filter mask during those chores.

While this list may feel exhausting at a glance, it is important to remember that not everyone experiences these allergies. For those with pollen allergies, it is well worth the extra effort to feel good during the spring season.

If you don’t experience seasonal allergies, watch out for your friends that do. The less people around us suffer from pollen allergies, the more opportunities there are for enjoying thing spring season.