Chattanooga allergist explains why you might be reaching for more tissues this fall season

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — When we think of allergies, many of us think of the spring time.

But if it feels like you’re sneezing and blowing your nose more than usual this fall, you’re not alone.

Allergens often cause watery eyes, runny noses, and coughs, leaving you reaching for those tissues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says allergy season is lasting longer for millions of Americans, and allergists say climate change could be to blame.

A study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America shows pollen season has grown longer by 20 days here in the U.S.

That’s over the past 30 years.

The study says climate change was the “dominant driver of changes in pollen season length and a significant contributor to increasing pollen concentrations.”

Dr. Todd Andrew Levin with the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic explains the connection between lingering heat and allergies:

“Every year as the weather gets warmer and warmer, and there’s more carbon dioxide in the air, plants, specifically ragweed, will pick up that carbon dioxide. This increases the size of the plants and increases the amount of pollen they produce. And as we get warmer and longer growing seasons, people suffer longer.”

Dr. Levin says we won’t see relief until those temperatures finally drop further into freezing.

But he says there are things you can do at home, like closing your windows and keeping your house clean.

Dr. Levin says the most effective way to find relief is to come in for an allergy test to get to the root of the problem.

Stay up to date with Chattanooga Allergy Clinic by liking them on Facebook and give them a call for an appointment (423) 899-0431.

Close to 81-million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with seasonal allergies in 2021.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that matches pre-pandemic levels.