Hay Fever Symptoms

There are a wide variety of symptoms associated with hay fever. The most common signs of a hay fever attack include itchy and watery eyes, itchy face, sneezing, and runny nose. Other symptoms also include a feeling of congestion and stuffy nose, itching inside the ears and nose, dark circles under the eyes, a general feeling of tiredness and irritability, and even trouble getting off to sleep. The severity of hay fever symptoms will depend on each individual concerned and their level of sensitivity to the allergen causing the allergic response. Symptoms can start as soon as early childhood or later in life. Fortunately for many, hay fever symptoms seem to ease off as life goes by.

Most hay fever sufferers tend to have seasonal allergies as opposed to year round allergies. This means that symptoms are often limited to spring and summer months when plant life is flowering and releasing pollen particles into the air. Crop harvest time can also be a dreaded time for sufferers. When fields are harvested by the farmers, an immense amount of dust and pollen are released into the atmosphere and can cause maddening symptoms including extreme itching of the eyes and nose alongside watery eyes and nasal congestion and dripping.


Unfortunately for some, however, hay fever can be a year long problem. There are some people who have the misfortune to be sensitive to pollens that span all four seasons. Again, their symptoms will vary widely according to the season and its respective airborne pollens, and their degree of sensitivity to whatever particular allergen might be in the air at any given time.

One thing to note about hay fever symptoms is the similarity to the symptoms of a common cold. With hay fever, you get the general itchy eyes and nose, watery eyes and nasal dripping and sneezing. These symptoms will last throughout the entire hay fever season. With a cold, the symptoms are similar in that the eyes are often watery, the nose runs, there is sneezing and coughing and general fatigue. The main difference in symptoms between the two is that with hay fever, the general aches and pains coupled with a fever are not present, whereas in a common cold they are. In addition, a cold will last up to a week as opposed to an entire hay fever season.

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