Has anyone else been popping allergy meds and decongestants like it's candy lately or is it just me? I'm used to having allergies but I feel like this time around has been especially bad.

Just this morning I was feeling sneezy so I took a Zyrtec only to get to work and still have my nose be so runny and sneezing nonstop.

So what's made this allergy season so much worse than others? Could removing our masks have anything to do with it?

Here's What Experts Say

According to WILX, Okemos Allergy Center's allergist-immunologist, Dr. Lawrence Hennessey says it could have something to do with us quarantining, wearing masks and not being out and about as much last year and now this year it feels worse.

It could also have something to do with climate change as Dr. Nathan Moore, a Geography Professor at MSU, breaks it down to WILX.

"One of the big changes that we’ve seen in the last 20 years or so is were having between five and ten days extra of pollen season," Moore said. 

He also explained that with spring coming earlier and becoming longer, there are higher levels of pollen due to the warmer temps we've experienced so far this spring. Even this past April, when pollination normally starts, we had "record frosts" and so that delayed pollen production.

Moore said we also had a "large burst of pollen the last few weeks" that has made it so even people who have never had allergy problems before are joining the club.

Allergies And COVID-19

Of course, now that mask-wearing or not is more on an "honor system" it means every cough or sneeze you make is under even more scrutiny.

However, here's what Dr. Hennessey has to say about it to WILX:

“COVID usually doesn’t cause sneezing, and it typically also doesn’t cause profuse watery nasal drainage the way that allergy does,” Hennessey said. If you're having clear nasal drainage, sneezing, itchy eyes and no significant chest cough or fever, Dr. Hennessey says it's likely not COVID and probably just allergies.

However, the only symptom allergies and COVID-19 "share" is fatigue so get your beauty sleep!

These Michigan Plants Will Irritate Your Seasonal Allergies

Spring is where allergies run rampant here in Michigan and for that we can thank pollen...Specifically, tree pollen. Here's a look at the biggest culprits.

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