Pollen is a natural substance that plays an important role in the ecosystem by helping to pollinate plants and trees. At the same time, pollen can also cause health problems for people and animals that are sensitive to allergies.
With the wind, the pollen of the plants is spread to expand the distribution area of the plants. Therefore, it is important to monitor the pollen level in your particular area and take appropriate measures to reduce exposure.
High levels of birch pollen are expected this year
– Right now alder and hazel are blooming all over southern Sweden. In southern Sweden, willow and elm have also begun to bloom. The birch usually begins to bloom at the turn of April and May, says Pia Östenssonbiologist at the National Museum of Natural History, who runs the site the pollen report to News24.
It is precisely birch and alder that most people are allergic to, while many react somewhat less to elms and sellers. Pia Östensson further explains that after the start of the birch’s flowering comes the oak’s flowering, the grass, on the other hand, begins its flowering in May and is believed to have its peak around midsummer.
In April, the birch is expected to take hold of the country, which many people fear. Pia Östensson does not want to call this year’s pollen season an “extreme year”. However, we can expect several days with very high levels of birch pollen this year.
– There is more alpine pollen than last year, unless the unsettled spring weather completely destroys their flowering. More birch pollen than last year but not an extreme year. Normal is high levels and abnormal is when the levels do not reach high levels for a single day.
Then your allergies to pollen will be worst
As the pollen season draws to a close, Wormwood Ambrosia finally appears in September, it is highly allergenic and spreads until the frost takes it.
– Depending on, among other things, the weather, light, temperatures and rainfall, the flowering time varies within a certain range for each species. Most cannot bloom too late or too early.
If you are someone who reacts strongly with runny nose and nasal congestion when the pollen season starts, it can often mean a longer story than the usual birch pollen season.
Difference between cold symptoms and pollen allergy
According to the Asthma and Allergy Association, around 30 percent of the population has a pollen allergy. On their website they write that in case of pollen allergy, it is the immune system that overreacts when you are exposed to proteins found in pollen.
Sometimes it is not always easy to distinguish between a cold or an allergy. The association writes that a common cold often causes a sore throat and thick mucus that slowly disappears. Pollen allergy, on the other hand, causes the classic symptoms such as red itchy eyes, repeated sneezing and nasal congestion.
If you suffer from allergies, it is also good if you start the allergy medicine in good time, just before the pollen season starts.