Some allergy-induced asthma produces problems year round, because it's triggered by substances found in the everyday living environment. Other people only deal with the symptoms at certain times of the year, if they have the outdoor type of allergies, meaning that triggers are commonly found outdoors, rather than indoors. And still others have allergy/asthma symptoms year round but find they get much worse in the summertime, when summer triggers are most present.
Common symptoms of summer allergies and asthma can include:
- Sneezing
- Nasal stuffiness
- Runny nose
- Itchy, watery, burning eyes
- Itchy mouth or throat
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Difficulty breathing
- Tight feeling in the chest
Kids with asthma and allergies may also have what are known as the allergic salute, where they rub their noses upward because of itching and have allergic shiners, which are dark circles under the eyes caused by nasal congestion. These are all just the typical symptoms of allergy-induced asthma. Nothing is different in the summer, except that if you are allergic to summer allergens, your symptoms may increase.
Common Summer Allergens or Triggers
The summer season can occur at different times in different parts of the United States and other countries, depending on climate and location. When grasses start to green and grow, though, chances are that summer allergy-induced asthma is about to begin. The most common summer allergens, or triggers, are grass pollens. Pollen are tiny egg-shaped male cells found in flowering plants. You may know pollen better as the tiny, powdery granules that plants use during the fertilization process. The size of a typical pollen spore is smaller in diameter than a human hair.Many different kinds of grasses can produce pollen that triggers allergies and asthma symptoms. The most common grass allergens include:
- Bermuda grass
- Bluegrass
- Orchard grass
- Red top grass
- Sweet vernal grass
- Timothy grass
The grasses mentioned above may or may not all exist in your local area. If any of them do, though, and you are sensitive to their pollens, then you will have summer allergy/asthma symptoms.
Toward the end of summer, around mid-August in most of the United States, weed pollens begin to become a problem. They tend to be at their highest levels during late summer and fall. Some common weed allergens are:
- Ragweed
- Cockleweeds
- Pigweed
- Russian thistle
- Sagebrush
- Tumbleweed
