Are you already sneezing and sniffling? Connecticut’s mild winters means the state is experiencing an earlier start to allergy season.
Owen Brown battles allergies year-round.
"I’m allergic to just about everything in nature," Brown said. "So, a lot of times when I wake up maybe I’ll have teary eyes, they’ll be itchy, sneezing, running nose all the time."
Brown’s allergist, Dr. Bernard Adelsberg in Hamden, said trees have started budding earlier in the year after the warmer than usual winter.
"Certainly if it’s warmer and there is more rain and the winter season is shorter, the spring allergy season will get longer and potentially much worse," Adelsberg said.
Adelsberg advised people prone to allergies to avoid being outside when the pollen comes out first thing in the morning.
"We tell patients to drive to work with their windows closed," he said, "But they can drive home with their windows open. The same thing at home."
To minimize the symptoms of itchy eyes and a runny nose, Adelsberg has this advice for before going to sleep.
"Take a shower, wash everything off so that the pollen doesn’t end up on their bed clothes and then stay there for night after night," he said.
Both antihistamines and nasal steroids are over the counter medications you can take to fight off allergies, Adelsberg said. He added patients should try to take the medications before they feel the symptoms of their allergies.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation ranked cities based on how many people are seeking treatment for their symptoms.
The worst city for allergy sufferers right now is Jackson, Mississippi. Hartford and New Haven ranked 56th and 57th.
