EDGEWATER — Sniffling more than usual? Blame "tree season."
The allergy season that happens when trees start to pollinate and bud is occurring later than usual this year, said Baiju Malde, a physician and allergy specialist at Northwestern Medicine.
"It's definitely gone longer than normal," Malde said. "It's been affecting people quite a bit lately."
On Wednesday afternoon, Scarlett Ashton coughed as she was out for a jog, telling DNAinfo Chicago she was battling allergy-related congestion.
The Edgewater resident and junior at Loyola University said she felt like there has "definitely been an increase" in the severity of her symptoms over the past three years living in the neighborhood. This spring epecially, she said, it's been difficult because allergies and final exams both hit her at once.
"Tree season" usually occurs in March and April but is stretching into May due to late frost sticking around, Malde said.
In New York, They're Calling it a 'Pollen Tsunami'
Symptoms may be nasal congestion, a runny nose, post-nasal drip, itchy eyes, sneezing and trouble breathing for asthma sufferers.
"I didn't feel the effects of allergies at all until three years ago, and now it's just worse and worse each year," jogger Ashton said. "When I was running on Monday I could tell I didn't take my allergy medicine fast enough, I was dying."
Malde recommends taking a shower after doing outdoor activity to wash pollen off the body. If indoors, keeping windows closed in the early morning and around 4 p.m., when pollen counts are the highest, could help reduce irritation as well.
If those methods don't work, antihistamines or nasal steroids may help, and people who can't seem to shake their symptoms should see their doctor, Malde said.
Buying allergy medication is "just par for the course" when it comes to springtime in the city, Chicago actor Addison Heimann said Wednesday.
He said nasal congestion and dry mouth are the most annoying symptoms he deals with, both problems that keep him from performing at 100 percent in his line of work.
"For me it's the nose thing, it destroys a lot of good things, like sleep," Heimann said. "It's like, the first nice day and already my nose gets clogged."
What's more, Heimann said he just can't seem to escape his bouts with "springtime allergies," which are often exacerbated by the area's greenery. He says it's an unintended consequence of living on a lush, tree-lined stretch of North Broadway.
Malde said trees should stop blooming and pollinating in the next two weeks. But, we'll then go straight into grass season, which affects allergy sufferers as well.
However, not all Chicagoans have been affected by allergies yet this season.
Sophomore at Senn High School Samiya Zaman, 15, said although she's been lucky enough to dodge any colds yet, she's noticed many school friends of hers who haven't been so fortunate.
"They'd have these weird symptoms, just like really nasally and tired," Zaman said. "I'm still hoping I won't get sick at all this year."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
