Are you the type of person who does not let the date on the calendar or the weather tell you it's spring, but rather, your allergies? Because while I know this weekend marked the official start of spring, I already knew because I CAN'T STOP SNEEZING!

I swear to you, I sneezed at least 200 times within an hour the other day and went through almost an entire new box of tissues. It was then I knew, it's officially spring in Michigan.

94.9 WMMQ logo
Get our free mobile app

However, it does feel like I'm in the thick of my allergy symptoms a lot earlier this year...and it turns out, I'm not alone.

When Exactly is a Typical Spring Allergy Season?

According to the Allergy and Asthma Center of Rochester (AAACR) in Rochester, Michigan, spring allergies across the board typically start in March and go until June, when summer allergies pick up.

Of course, spring allergies do differ from other seasons, especially here in Michigan, as the trees and flowers are all starting to bloom again after dying off in the winter, hence why they are commonly referred to more as "tree allergies."

See Related: These Michigan Plants Will Irritate Your Seasonal Allergies

While these plants are breathing new life into the world around us, they are also breathing pollen into the air. The warmer weather helps the plants open up/bloom and the wind helps their pollen move along but also stirs it up and into the noses of allergy sufferers everywhere.

Allergy Season Was Particularly Bad for Michigan in 2021

If it seems like every year we are told "this year's allergy season is particularly rough" it's because we are...more on that in a second.

Last year we looked into claims of why allergy season was so bad and there was belief in the scientific and climate studies communities that it was due to climate change. Part of it, too, had us wondering if the end of mask mandates in the spring of 2021 was what may have made allergy season at least feel like it was worse compared to other years.

See Related: Has This Michigan Allergy Season Been Especially Bad For You Too?

Michigan Spring Allergies 2022: It's Only Worse From Here

If you're struggling through allergy season, like me, already and can't imagine it getting worse from here...you might want to stock up on your allergy medications and hunker down because Click On Detroit (Local 4) is reporting information from a recent study that's not all-too encouraging.

According to Click On Detroit, a University of Michigan study has found that climate change is causing our spring allergy flare-ups to start sooner and last longer than in the past.

Furthermore, as Local 4 shares from the study, "Allergy season could start anywhere from 20-40 days earlier by the end of the century."

That's almost an entire extra month of suffering through allergy season!

Allergy Season and COVID-19 in 2022

In our 2021 spring allergy coverage, we touched on how COVID and allergies, at the time, did not share too many common symptoms.

Now, in 2022, we've got the lovely Omicron variant that has been throwing a wrench into all of it.

That being said, every single sniffle, sneeze or scratchiness of the throat should not be cause for panic. However, if you notice any allergy symptoms different from your usual symptoms you've suffered through every year and gotten to know pretty well, you should at least take a home test to be safe or seek out medical professionals.

Of course, masking could also be a benefit, if you are not already, in helping prevent at least some pollen particles from infiltrating.

With allergies, you can only prepare so much and, ultimately, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

 

 

More From 94.9 WMMQ