Allergies can be caused by a wide variety of allergens, air pollutants, substances, or organisms. For some, allergy symptoms only spring up during a specific time of year. For others, their allergy symptoms can last all year long, depending on their triggers and the allergens their immune systems are sensitive to.
If you have seasonal allergies, meaning you only experience allergies during a particular time of year, you may be wondering how long allergy season is expected to last and when you can look forward to breathing easily and clearly again.
Let’s take a look at the idea of allergy season to determine how long it usually lasts and see if there are multiple allergy seasons in one single year.
When Is the Kickoff of Allergy Season?
Generally speaking, allergy season begins when Mother Nature starts waking up from her winter dormancy, and trees, grasses, flowers, and other plants begin blossoming and reproducing. This can start as early as late February.
What Starts Allergy Season?
Following winter, most plants wake up from dormancy and begin releasing pollen into the air as part of their reproductive processes. The pollen spores waft in the air and float around until they (hopefully) land on another plant or seed of the same species, leading to pollination and germination that keeps the plant’s life cycle moving forward.
The start of pollen season is a great one for life on Earth, but it can also be a miserable period for people who suffer from seasonal allergies. Pollen and spores, whether they’re produced by trees, grasses, or weeds, can trigger a patient’s immune system and cause the patient’s body to overreact in an effort to flush the invading allergen out. The only problem is that pollen is an airborne allergen that patients cannot easily avoid. It’s everywhere in the air, and breathing pollen in is nearly unavoidable. As a result, the immune system is constantly trying to flush pollen out, causing the patient to suffer from allergy symptoms until the pollen count decreases significantly and they are no longer exposed to the allergen.
When Does Allergy Season End?
Generally speaking, allergy season ends by late autumn, when plants stop producing pollen and are getting ready to enter dormancy again.
However, for some patients, allergy season can end by the time spring is over or by late summer. Again, it all depends on what triggers a patient’s immune system and how sensitive it is to its triggers.
Are There Sub-Seasons Within One Allergy Season?
There are three main sub-seasons, or rounds of allergens produced, in one allergy season. These sub-seasons are:
- Early spring to early summer
- Early summer to late summer
- Late summer to autumn
Early Spring to Early Summer
This first sub-season is arguably the worst one for patients with seasonal allergies, and it’s the sub-season that affects seasonal allergy patients the most. Early spring is the time when pollen counts reach their highest levels, since the majority of plants wake up at this time and produce pollen to begin the reproductive process. Consequently, the amount of pollen allergy patients are exposed to is significantly higher, and the variety is wide-ranging. Plus, the transition from no pollen exposure to endless pollen exposure often takes a toll on the immune system and the body, causing patients to feel their allergies more intensely than they do at other times in the season.
Allergens in Early Spring to Early Summer
A variety of:
- Tree pollen spores
- Grass pollen spores
- Weed pollen spores
- Mold spores
Early Summer to Late Summer
The pollen count typically lessens significantly as we move from spring to summer. However, that doesn’t mean the count goes away entirely. Even low pollen counts can take their toll on people with sensitive-enough immune systems. For many, allergy season ends by the time spring is over, but others either still experience allergies in this sub-season or begin experiencing allergies once this sub-season hits.
It all depends on sensitivity levels and the types of pollens and mold spores the immune system is triggered by. For instance, a patient may breathe easily when exposed to pine tree pollen in the spring but suffer frustrating allergies when Bermuda grass pollen is in the air during the summer.
Allergens in Early Summer to Late Summer
A variety of:
- Tree pollen
- Grass pollen
- Weed pollen
- Mold spores
Late Summer to Autumn
There is one main culprit that grows in the third sub-season of late summer and fall and can cause the pollen count to rise a bit again, and that culprit is ragweed. This broadleaf weed springs up as the seasons start changing from summer to autumn, and it brings with it a lot of pollen that many allergy patients are allergic to.
Those who are allergic to pollen in all three sub-seasons typically fight their allergies for the entire allergy season. However, some patients breathe easily throughout spring and summer but are affected by ragweed pollen throughout the final stretch of the season.
Allergens in Late Summer and Fall
- Ragweed pollen
- Mold spores
So, How Long Does Allergy Season Last?
On paper, allergy season lasts from early spring to late autumn. But in reality, it’s different for every patient. Some have an allergy season that lasts that entire period, while others may have an allergy season that lasts a few weeks in any one of the sub-seasons.
If you experience allergies at any point during the warmer months, it can be beneficial to undergo allergy testing to know precisely which pollens, molds, or other allergens are causing your allergies to flare up. Testing can help you determine what your personal allergy season can look like and lead you toward effective treatment that will allow you to breathe easier, regardless of the season.
Are you suffering at any point throughout allergy season? Talk to Langford Allergy about testing and treatment.
Dr. Langford and our team are dedicated to helping allergy patients find relief from allergies, no matter what season they are in. Patients with seasonal allergies and year-round allergies can count on us to provide insightful testing and effective treatment to help them face the day confidently.
Schedule your allergy appointment with our team today: 478-787-4728
Langford Allergy delivers allergy, asthma, and immunodeficiency care to patients throughout Middle Georgia, including:
- Bonaire, GA
- Byron, GA
- Forsyth, GA
- Fort Valley, GA
- Gray, GA
- Macon, GA
- Milledgeville, GA
- Perry, GA
- Warner Robins, GA
And other surrounding areas.
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