All posts tagged: Hay

Climate change extends hay fever season by weeks bringing more misery for sufferers

Climate change extends hay fever season by weeks bringing more misery for sufferers

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Hay fever sufferers are now enduring symptoms for up to two weeks longer than they did in the 1990s, a new review has revealed, directly attributing the extended misery to the escalating climate crisis. The Lancet Countdown in Europe 2026 report highlights that climate change has “prolonged the pollen season”, significantly increasing the duration of exposure to allergens for millions. The report, published in The Lancet Public Health, details how shifting weather patterns are altering the flowering seasons of plants that release allergenic pollen. Researchers observed an earlier start to the season by one to two weeks for birch, alder, and olive pollen between 2015 and 2024, when compared with the period of 1991 to 2000. Hay fever, an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grass, and weeds, typically worsens in warm, humid, and windy conditions when pollen counts are highest, …

Hay fever sufferers have it worse today than in 1990s – here’s why | UK News

Hay fever sufferers have it worse today than in 1990s – here’s why | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

If it feels like hay fever is hitting harder every year, you’re not imagining it. Hay fever sufferers have symptoms for up to two weeks longer than in the 1990s, a new review has found. Climate change has “prolonged the pollen season” by up to two weeks, increasing the amount of time people with hay fever are exposed to allergens, according to the Lancet Countdown in Europe 2026 report. The new report says global warming is impacting the flowering season of plants that release allergenic pollen. Changes in the timing and intensity of birch, alder and olive pollen season were analysed in the study. Image: Pic: iStock An earlier season start of one to two weeks was found for all allergenic trees between 2015 and 2024 compared with 1991 to 2000, according to the research. Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said a longer pollen season “will bring more misery for people with hay fever”. She added: “If people are allergic to pollen, it can inflame their airways …

Rare Books Stolen from Betsey and John Hay Whitney’s Home Recovered

Rare Books Stolen from Betsey and John Hay Whitney’s Home Recovered

Published by José Betancourt

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., has announced the return of 17 rare books to the heirs of John Hay and Betsey Cushing Whitney. The books, which were stolen from the couple’s Long Island home in the 1980s, include works by John Keats, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and the Brothers Grimm. John Whitney, who died in 1982, served as publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, president of the Museum of Modern Art, and Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Betsey Whitney, who died in 1998, was known for establishing the Greentree Foundation in 1983. Related Articles The couple were noted art collectors: their holdings featured works by 19th- and 20th-century European and American masters. After John’s death, most of their collection was donated to institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery. John Whitney inherited hundreds of rare books from his mother, the poet Helen Hay Whitney. Between 1982 and 1989, at least 28 of the volumes were stolen from the Whitney estate; the …

Christine Baranski to Make West End Debut in ‘Hay Fever’

Christine Baranski to Make West End Debut in ‘Hay Fever’

Published by Daniella Wilson

U.S. actress Christine Baranski will make her West End debut alongside Richard E. Grant in a new production of Noël Coward’s Hay Fever. The family comedy, directed by Emily Burns, also marks Saltburn star Grant’s return to the West End stage after 20 years. It’ll run at the Wyndham Theatre from September to December this year, with two-time Tony winner Baranski playing Judith Bliss and Grant as David Bliss. “Last year, Judith retired from her life on stage. Already, she misses the applause,” reads a plot synopsis. “Idling away at their country home, the rest of the family — reclusive novelist husband David and failure-to-launch children Sorrel and Simon — are too self-involved to be a good audience. So, Judith invites a young fan as her guest for the weekend. But unbeknownst to her, each of the Blisses have a guest of their own arriving at the very same time. Completely unsuited to hosting and allergic to compromise, the house quickly erupts into a chaos of parlor games, put-downs, and unrequested encores.” Baranski, best known …

Is it hay fever or a cold? Here’s how to tell the difference

Is it hay fever or a cold? Here’s how to tell the difference

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore You’ve been through winter lurgies and escaped the start of spring free of hay fever. Now you wake up with a sniffle you can’t seem to shake. How do you know if it’s hay fever, a cold, or something else? And how do these two different culprits cause such similar symptoms? Hay fever is actually an allergy Hay fever is an allergic reaction to tiny particles you inhale from “allergens”. These might be pollen, house dust mites, or animal dander (dead skin cells). Normally, the body won’t respond to these harmless particles. But for some people, the immune system mistakes them for something dangerous. If you have allergies, your immune system prepares a particular type of antibody, called IgE, to target the culprit allergen. Histamine and other inflammatory substances inflame the lining of your nose, eyes and throat (Getty/iStock) When you’re …

The simple way to control allergy symptoms as hay fever season begins

The simple way to control allergy symptoms as hay fever season begins

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore For tens of millions of Americans, allergy season ushers in a period of misery, characterized by runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing, all triggered by trees, grass and various pollens. The intensity of these symptoms can differ greatly depending on an individual’s geographic location, specific allergens and daily lifestyle. Experts are increasingly pointing to climate change as a key factor contributing to longer and more severe allergy seasons. Yet, there is positive news: treatments for seasonal allergies have become notably more effective over the last decade. With these advancements, experts are now offering practical advice to help manage symptoms, potentially enabling sufferers to enjoy the outdoors once again. Here’s how to track pollen levels Pollen trackers can help you decide when to go outside. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations …

Experts explain how to stop hay fever from impacting your sleep

Experts explain how to stop hay fever from impacting your sleep

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Hay fever’s disruptive effects aren’t limited to daytime sniffles; this pervasive allergy can significantly impair sleep quality. Dr Hugh Coyne, co-founder of Coyne Medical, shed light on how hay fever symptoms frequently turn a peaceful night into a congested, sneezing ordeal. He also offered straightforward, practical advice to alleviate these bothersome nocturnal impacts. Why do many people struggle with hay fever symptoms in the evening and at night? “When people go out during the day, they will be exposed to pollen and other allergens that they’re sensitive to, so when they come home in the evening they might still have pollen on their skin and/or in their nasal passages,” says Coyne. “This might cause them to have a lot of hay fever symptoms in the evenings and when they get into bed.” Meanwhile, when the air cools in the evenings, it …

I live in hay fever hell – but a new treatment is giving me hope

I live in hay fever hell – but a new treatment is giving me hope

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more From April until August I can’t open the windows. I make my boyfriend shower before he gets in bed, smear Vaseline around my nostrils, eat local honey, and spend too much money on Allevia (fexofenadine), lubricating eye drops, super strength nasal sprays and prescription inhalers. Still, I can barely breathe, because the pollen has come – and if it were down to natural selection, I wouldn’t make it out of the ever-lengthening hay fever season alive. This might all sound incredibly dramatic. But, as anyone who suffers from extreme allergies will know, it really is that debilitating. The morning after a high pollen count day, I often struggle to get out of bed as I battle through a so-called “hay fever hangover”, which depletes …

'Very High' Pollen Count Forecast: The Best Ways To Prevent Hay Fever Symptoms

'Very High' Pollen Count Forecast: The Best Ways To Prevent Hay Fever Symptoms

Published by Sam Flores

Handsome Man sneezing As the UK basks in warmer temperatures, hay fever sufferers are set for a particularly uncomfortable week, as the Met Office has revealed much of England will experience “very high” pollen levels until the weekend. Much of Scotland and Wales are also currently impacted by “very high” levels, while Northern Ireland is also experiencing “high” levels of pollen today and tomorrow. Tree pollen is the key culprit. According to the Met Office, tree pollen season typically runs from late March to mid-May, with around one in four people impacted by this type of pollen. The worst offenders are typically alder, birch, hazel and horse chestnut, per Allergy UK. However the Met Office says birch and ash pollen levels are currently the ones which are “very high”. What causes hay fever? Hay fever occurs when an allergen, such as pollen, causes your body to defend itself by producing antibodies. These antibodies then bind to mast cells, a process which releases a chemical called histamine. The chemical causes dilation of nasal blood vessels and inflammation …

Is it hay fever or a cold? Here’s how to tell the difference

Is it hay fever or a cold? Experts detail the one main difference

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore You’ve been through winter lurgies and escaped the start of spring free of hay fever. Now you wake up with a sniffle you can’t seem to shake. How do you know if it’s hay fever, a cold, or something else? And how do these two different culprits cause such similar symptoms? Hay fever is actually an allergy Hay fever is an allergic reaction to tiny particles you inhale from “allergens”. These might be pollen, house dust mites, or animal dander (dead skin cells). Normally, the body won’t respond to these harmless particles. But for some people, the immune system mistakes them for something dangerous. If you have allergies, your immune system prepares a particular type of antibody, called IgE, to target the culprit allergen. Histamine and other inflammatory substances inflame the lining of your nose, eyes and throat (Getty/iStock) When you’re …