Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Indiana Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyIndiana is a Midwestern state known for basketball, motorsports, and the city of Indianapolis. As far as Midwest states go, Indiana isn’t terrible for allergies. It certainly has its share of pollen problems, but there are worse places to live if you’re an allergy sufferer.
If you do have allergies in Indiana, there are ways to find relief from your symptoms. Symptom management is one way, but allergy treatment is also available. Wyndly can help.
Wyndly’s doctors can provide you with a personalized allergy treatment for your Indiana allergies. Schedule an allergy consultation today to get started. In the meantime, read on to learn more about Indiana allergies.
When Is Indiana Allergy Season?
Indiana has a typical allergy season thanks to the presence of all four seasons. Winter comes and rids the state of pollen allergies for a few months, but pollen allergies will still be a problem during the other three seasons — and indoor allergies can cause issues all year.
Allergens by Season
Residents will face seasonal allergies in summer, spring, and fall. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the most prominent allergies during each season.
Summer
Summer is when grass allergies start for Indiana residents. Some grass allergy triggers to watch out for include bent, fescue, orchard, and Johnson grasses. Grass allergies usually start near the end of May and end before August.
Fall
Fall is weed allergy season for Indiana residents. This means pollen from ragweed, wormwood, cocklebur, and amaranth is in the air. This season begins in mid-August and ends after winter’s first hard freeze.
Winter
Indiana residents can count on cold winters, which means pollen allergies are done until spring rolls around. Indoor allergens like dust mites, mold, and pet dander could still be a factor during the winter.
Spring
Spring is tree allergy season. The most common causes of tree allergies in Indiana include oak, birch, elm, ash, maple, hickory, walnut, willow, and mulberry. This season begins in late February or early March and usually tapers off in May.
Common Allergens
Residents of Indiana can expect seasonal allergies from spring to late fall. These allergies are usually due to tree, weed, and grass pollen. Indoor allergies can be a year-round problem with dust mites, pet dander, and mold being common culprits.
Common Symptoms
Indiana residents can expect the following allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Hives
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
As always, reactions will vary from person to person, but in general, allergies will cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
There are different allergies to consider based on which area of Indiana you live in. Here are some of the major regions of Indiana and their associated allergens.
Gary/South Bend/Fort Wayne
The Gary, South Bend, and Fort Wayne areas will have spring allergies from hickory, oak, maple, willow, ash, privet, cedar, and mulberry trees. Summer grass allergens include bent, timothy, sweet vernal, orchard, fescue, and prairie grasses. Weed allergy triggers in fall include ragweed, wormwood, sagebrush, amaranth, and orache.
Lafayette/Muncie/Indianapolis
The Lafayette, Muncie, and Indianapolis areas experience spring tree allergies from hickory, ash, oak, cedar, mulberry, and walnut trees. Summer grass allergens include timothy and bent. In fall, weed allergy triggers include wormwood and ragweed.
Terre Haute/Bloomington
The Terre Haute and Bloomington areas can expect spring tree allergies from hickory, oak, walnut, cedar, ash, maple, willow, and mulberry trees. Summer grass allergy triggers include ryegrass and timothy, bent, orchard, and fescue. Fall weed allergens include ragweed, wormwood, and amaranth.
Evansville/New Albany
The Evansville and New Albany areas can expect allergies in spring from hickory, oak, walnut, willow, ash, and mulberry trees. Summer grass allergens include timothy, bent, and brome. Fall weed allergy triggers include marsh elder, ragweed, wormwood, and amaranth.
Testing and Diagnosis
It can be very difficult to find the source of your allergies in Indiana. An educated guess can help you determine if you have grass, tree, or weed allergies based on what time of year you have allergy symptoms, but you might not be able to pinpoint the exact pollen type. Also, the intersection of allergy seasons means you may make the wrong assumption. Many people are even allergic to multiple types of pollen. An allergy test can make things clear, and Wyndly makes allergy testing convenient with our at-home test. Buy your at-home test from Wyndly today.
Let’s explore how different allergy testing options work.
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, and they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Order Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through your personalized treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
Allergy symptoms can be miserable to put up with, but there are various ways you can manage your symptoms. There are even methods for treatment that can bring you lifelong relief from allergies. Let’s take a look at some of the available options.
Limiting Exposure
It’s always good to try limiting your exposure as the first step to symptom management. If you’re able to avoid your allergens, you may be able to keep your symptoms at a manageable level. Of course, pollen isn’t always easy to avoid, but there are several ways you can keep exposure to a minimum.
- Keep windows closed: Leaving your windows open during allergy season can let pollen in your home. Keeping your windows closed and running the A/C makes it harder for pollen to get through.
- Watch pollen levels: You can check the daily pollen count using a website or app. If pollen levels are high, try to stay inside as much as possible.
- Mask up: But if the pollen count is high and you need to go outside, a dust mask is a good way to keep pollen out of your airways.
- Vacuum and dust: Using a HEPA filter vacuum is a good way to remove pollen from your floors. It’s also recommended to dust hard surfaces with a wet rag.
- Do laundry often: Remember to throw your clothes in the laundry after being outside, since pollen can stick to them. Doing laundry often will help keep pollen off your clothes and out of your house.
- Shower often: Pollen can stick to your body and hair too. Remember to rinse off after being outside. Washing your hands and face works if you’re not home or are in a rush.
- Remove your shoes: Remember to take your shoes off when you get home so you don’t track in pollen.
Medications
While limiting your exposure is recommended, it’s not always the ultimate solution to get rid of your allergy symptoms. Many people get additional support from over-the-counter allergy medications for short-term symptom relief. Some common options you can try are antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops, and decongestants.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
The remedies above are just ways to manage your symptoms. If you want to treat your allergies and find long-term relief, you may want to try sublingual immunotherapy. Sublingual immunotherapy is a form of allergy treatment that introduces gradually increasing doses of an allergen to your immune system with drops or tablets that are administered under the tongue. Over time, this trains your immune system to ignore or tolerate these substances, ridding you of allergy symptoms. Unlike allergy shots, sublingual immunotherapy is painless and can be taken at home.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you want true, long-term relief from your Indiana allergies, let Wyndly help. With an allergy consultation, our doctors can determine a personalized treatment plan that will help you find relief.
Schedule your Wyndly allergy consultation today.
Indiana Allergy FAQs
We have answers to some frequently asked questions about Indiana allergies.
How long is Indiana’s allergy season?
Allergy season is a standard length, going from early spring to late fall.
Is allergy season bad in Indiana?
Allergy season is relatively typical for Midwestern states.
Is Indiana a good state if you have allergies?
Indiana isn’t the best state for allergy sufferers, but it’s far from the worst.
When is the Indiana allergy season?
Allergy season is usually from late February to the first hard freeze of winter.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are April, May, and September.
