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If you sneeze your way through spring (or summer, or fall) every year, you may have pollen allergies. Also called seasonal allergic rhinitis or hay fever, pollen allergies can make you feel miserable all day. Worse, they can interfere with your sleep at night.

The good news is that you can prevent or minimize symptoms with a combination of medicine and lifestyle tweaks.

Here’s what you need to know about how to manage pollen allergies.

What Does a Pollen Allergy Mean?

Plants release tiny grains of pollen to fertilize other plants. It often looks like fine yellow powder. The pollen gets carried from plant to plant by wind, water, insects, or birds.

If you’re allergic to pollen, your immune system treats the tiny particles as invaders. It releases chemicals like histamine into your bloodstream as a defense. These chemicals then trigger allergy symptoms.

Common allergy symptoms include:

• Coughing.
• Itchy eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Red or watery eyes.
• Runny nose.
• Sneezing.
• Sore throat.
• Stuffy nose.
• Wheezing.

If you suffer from pollen allergies, you’re not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 25% of U.S. adults have seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies usually develop by age 20.

What Causes of Pollen Allergies?

Pollen allergies typically occur around the same time, year after year. The pollen that travels via wind causes the most problems for people with allergies. Pollen spread by bees and other insects (from rose bushes, for instance) usually doesn’t cause hay fever.

The most common causes of pollen allergies are:

• Grass pollen causes problems in late spring and early summer in the northern U.S., but may trigger symptoms year-round in the south. Not all types of grass cause allergy symptoms. But you’ll need to know how to manage grass pollen allergies if you’re sensitive to varieties like Bermuda, fescue, and Kentucky blue.
• Tree pollen causes allergies in the spring, so symptoms appear from March through May in most parts of the U.S. (Tree pollen allergies may appear as early as January in the southern states.) Some common pollen-producing trees are maple, elm, birch, poplar, oak, and walnut.
• Weed pollen causes symptoms in late summer and fall. Common allergy-producing weeds are burning bush, sagebrush, and mugwort. Many people are allergic to ragweed, which is present in almost every state and can travel hundreds of miles through the air.

When Should I See a Doctor for Pollen Allergies?

Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell whether sneezing and congestion are from allergies or a cold. If you suspect pollen allergies, you should see an allergist. They can run skin or blood tests to figure out what you’re allergic to.

You should call an allergist if:

• Home treatment alone doesn’t seem to be helping.
• You feel like you’re always getting sick, or you have a bad head cold or congestion.
• You start sneezing and coughing around the same time every year.
• Your allergy symptoms are interfering with work, school, or family relationships.
• Your allergy symptoms seem to be getting worse every year.

How Do I Manage Pollen Allergies?

If you have pollen allergies, your doctor will help you work out a prevention and treatment plan. Your plan may involve avoiding allergy triggers and using preventive measures in your home. Your doctor may advise combining these lifestyle changes with over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medicine.

To prevent or minimize pollen allergies

It’s best to avoid allergy triggers if possible, or at least minimize them. Here are tips on how to manage tree pollen allergies and other seasonal allergies.

• Check the air quality every day during allergy season. If possible, stay indoors when the pollen count is high. You can track the pollen count in your area on local weather reports and apps.

• Cover your head outdoors to keep pollen from clinging to your hair.
• Dry your clothes in a dryer instead of outside on a clothesline.
• Have someone else do yard work. If that’s not possible, try mowing or gardening in the morning or evening, when pollen counts are lower.
• If you’ve been working outdoors, change clothes and shower as soon as you get inside.
• Install furnace filters or other air filters in your house. Keep all heating filters and vents clean throughout the year.
• Keep your house clean.
• Keep your windows closed when the pollen count is high.
• Shower before going to bed, as pollen can cling to your hair and skin throughout the day.
• Use air conditioning or air cleaners with HEPA filtration to reduce pollen indoors.
• Use dehumidifiers to reduce moisture in your home. This will limit mold growth, which, like pollen, can trigger allergies.
• Wash bedding in hot water once a week.
• Wash your hands after you’ve been outside.
• Wear a mask outdoors to help filter pollen, especially when doing yard work.
• Wear sunglasses outside to keep pollen away from your eyes.
• Wipe off dogs or other pets who spend time outdoors. Pollen can cling to their fur.

To treat pollen allergies

There are a variety of OTC and prescription medicines used to treat seasonal allergies. Some of the most common are:

• Antihistamines come in liquid, pill, and spray forms to relieve allergy symptoms. Your doctor may recommend them if your symptoms don’t occur very often or don’t last long. But be careful — some cause drowsiness.
• Decongestants shrink the lining of nasal passages so you can breathe more easily. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, check with your doctor before using decongestants.
• Nasal corticosteroid sprays are a daily medicine that takes a few weeks to become effective. For that reason, you need to start using these medications well before allergy season arrives. They are available in prescription and OTC strengths.
• Saline nasal wash removes mucus and clears your sinuses. Use with a neti pot, squeeze bottle, or rubber bulb. You can make your own saline solution or buy it premixed at most drug stores.
• Shots for allergies can reduce allergy symptoms but may take three to five years to become fully effective. Allergy shots are usually a last resort in treating seasonal allergies.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 4, 2025, and was last reviewed on January 5, 2026.