In the winter, pollen counts are far lower than during the other three seasons of the year. Since trees aren’t bearing leaves and other plants aren’t growing in the colder weather, many allergy sufferers may get some relief during the coldest, driest months of the year.

However, others may find that their allergy symptoms get worse during the winter. Why is this? Is there a way to get relief? We’ll answer these questions and more in this post.

Let’s get started!

What Makes Winter Allergies Different?

The wintertime is tough on anyone who is allergic to dust mites or mold. These are common indoor allergens, and both of them can thrive even when temperatures drop.

Mold Allergies Explained

• If you’re allergic to mold, the cause of your symptoms is an immune response to exposure to mold spores. These spores are released into the air by mold growing in your house or other indoor or outdoor environments, and breathing them in can cause numerous symptoms.

• Common symptoms of mold allergies include watering eyes, an itchy throat, sneezing or coughing, a runny nose, and red, irritated skin.

• For people living with asthma, mold allergies can make symptoms even worse. Mold exposure can exacerbate your asthma, making you short of breath and causing bouts of coughing and wheezing—time to reach for the inhaler.

• If you’re suffering from mold allergy symptoms, it might not be because of immediate mold exposure. You can start dealing with symptoms as a delayed reaction to mold exposure, which can make it tough to trace back the cause of these symptoms.

• You’re most likely to deal with mold allergy symptoms in your home if your house is poorly ventilated, exposed to moisture, or filled with excess humidity. These conditions are ideal for mold to thrive, and they’re more common than you might think.

Are You Allergic to Dust Mites?

• Dust mites are microscopic creatures. These little bugs feed on the dead skin that you shed each day, opting to live in carpets, furniture, bedding, and other similar surfaces.

• The mites thrive in environments where there’s excessive humidity and warmth. That’s why they tend to be unhindered by cold weather – they grow inside, eating all that dead skin they find in sheets and carpets. Gross.

• Many people are allergic to dust mites, and the bugs can cause a reaction that brings the following symptoms with it:

• Coughing

• Congestion

• Itchiness in the eyes, throat, the roof of the mouth, and nose

• Sinus pressure

• Runny nose

• Sneezing

• As is the case with mold allergies, a dust mite allergy can exacerbate asthma symptoms. If you have asthma, exposure to dust mites can make it hard to breathe, cause chest tightness, and inhibit your sleep.

• If you have dust mites in your sheets, you may experience the worst of your allergy symptoms after you hit the hay. That’s why it’s especially important to wash your sheets regularly in hot water!

• Dust mite allergies are caused by a reaction to dust mite feces and not to the mite itself. Again, gross. The debris left behind by dust mites gets kicked up into the air and is then breathed in as you walk around in your home, making your symptoms worse.

Your Pet Might Be Causing Your Wintertime Allergies

If you’re dealing with allergy symptoms but live in a house that is, as far as you know, free of mold and dust mites, your pet might be the cause. Undiagnosed pet allergies are relatively common, and they can develop later in life in some cases.

In addition, it’s often not your pet’s fur that causes allergy symptoms. Instead, the cause of pet allergies is typically a protein that is found in pet dander, as well as saliva and pee.

If you suspect that your allergy symptoms might be caused by the animals in your household, it’s a great idea to do an at-home allergy test with Cleared. One of our experienced allergists can help you understand your test results and figure out the best plan of action to get the relief that you need.

Finding Relief from Wintertime Allergies

If you’re struggling to find a solution for your winter allergy symptoms, you’ve come to the right place.

At Cleared, we specialize in helping allergy sufferers find the relief they need with a multifaceted treatment strategy. Our allergists evaluate each person’s allergy symptoms on a case-by-case basis, then make tailor-made recommendations to meet your needs.

Our treatment plans use a combination of the following:

• Immunotherapy. Allergy immunotherapy is a treatment method that is intended to help you beat your allergy symptoms long-term. This form of treatment helps your body build up a resistance to the key allergens that are causing your symptoms. It may also gradually help to reduce the amount of other allergy medications that you need to manage your symptoms.

• Relief medications. These prescription and over-the-counter treatments include Montelukast, Loratadine, and Diphenhydramine, all of which target allergy symptoms in different ways. Once you’ve gotten a diagnosis for your allergies, one of our allergists will recommend a medication that is right for you. Your relief medication serves as a buffer against daily struggles with allergy symptoms.

Want to Learn More?

Need help finding relief for your winter allergies? We’ve got you covered. To learn more about treatment for allergies and what Cleared can do for you, click here. To book your at-home allergy test, click here. If you want valuable info about the causes and treatments for seasonal allergies, make sure to visit our blog.

Reviewed by Dr. Payel Gupta

Sources:

Mold allergy - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic

Dust mite allergy - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic

Allergic to Your Pet? Learn about Dog and Cat Allergies | AAFA