Its on, allergy sufferers. Especially if youre sensitive to tree pollen.

Pollen counts are predicted to soar for the rest of this week as temperatures through most of the Puget Sound region climb toward 70 degrees on Thursday and Friday.

Pollen count is predicted to be very high Thursday through Sunday, according to theNorthwest Asthma & Allergy Center.

Seattle-area allergy experts say that once your allergies are activated and apparently Western Washington is one of the best places to discover whether youre allergic to tree pollen you take a deep breath on a beautiful spring day, and instantly your mast cells jump into action.

The key feature of allergies and our immune system in general is also the reason they are persistent and frustrating, said Dr. Jakob von Moltke, an assistant professor of immunology at the UW School of Medicine. You can go a whole winter without any issues, and then your immune system is triggered in seconds.

And allergists say the masks many people are wearing lately havent really mitigated pollen allergy symptoms: sneezing, runny noses, postnasal drip, and itchy, puffy, watery eyes. (That said, you should wear one when youre out in public, to protect yourself and others from the novel coronavirus especially if youre sneezing, which launches your germs into the air.)

If there is a difference (for allergy sufferers during the pandemic), it may be because people are not walking around outside a lot and are staying indoors, which is what we recommend, said Dr. Lahari Rampur, a UW Medicine allergy and immunology professor.

It can help to keep your windows closed, saidDr. Scott Itano, medical center chief at Kaiser Permanente Northgate Medical Center.

Most plants release their pollen in the middle of the night, so leaving windows open at night as many people do when the weather gets warm is one of the worst things you can do, he said. Then, you will be allergic inside and outside your house.

And if you are taking medicine to combat allergies, such as allergy pills and nasal steroid sprays, Itano recommends taking it at night before bed to help suppress the allergic reaction before it happens.

Read the rest here:
Temperatures and pollen counts both predicted to rise this week in Seattle area - Seattle Times