Pollen 101
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1 min read
Point of view: You open the windows on a beautiful spring morning and immediately start to sniffle. Pollen can easily spoil moments that should be pleasant, but understanding how and why our bodies react so strongly to it is the first step to regaining control.
What is Pollen?
Pollen is defined as “a mass of microspores in a seed plant appearing usually as a fine dust”. You may only be sensitive to one type of pollen, such as alder tree pollen, or several kinds.
Pollen comes from:
- Flowers
- Grass
- Trees
- Bushes
Pollen can spread via:
- Insects
- Wind
- Pets
- Clothes and shoes
Symptoms & Types of Pollen Sensitivity
When our skin or respiratory system encounters pollen, our body initiates the production of histamines, which cause watery eyes, itchy skin, and congestion—anything to help flush the pollen out and rid our bodies of the substance.
Everyone’s unique, but the most common symptoms are ones you might mistake for a cold, including:
- Congestion
- Sinus pressure
- Tiredness
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Watery, puffy, or itchy eyes
- Irritated skin
A sneakier way pollen can affect you is through cross-reactivity. This occurs when your body mistakes one thing for another—such as the proteins in a juicy pear for birch pollen. In this case, your body would react by giving you the same symptoms birch pollen would, causing discomfort as well as confusion as to why you suddenly seem sensitive to stone fruit.
Common cross-reactivity for different types of pollen:
- Stone fruits
- Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Pepper
- Fennel
- Artichokes
How an Air Purifier Can Help
An air purifier can help improve indoor air quality by filtering out many common pollutants from the air you breathe inside your house. All Levoit air purifiers use 3-stage filtration to keep your air fresh. Here’s the breakdown:
- Pre-Filter: Catches airborne hair, lint, and pet fur and helps prolong the lifespan of the filtration system.
- Main Filter: Traps tiny airborne particles you may not even see, such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and smoke particles.
- Activated Carbon Filter: Helps neutralize gases, odors, fumes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
When looking for an air purifier, consider these features to find one that suits your needs:
- Filtration system
- Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR: how many times the air purifier completely filters the air in a room)
- Smart control options
- Energy efficiency
- Room coverage
Our helpful sidekick: The Levoit Vital 200S Smart Air Purifier is perfect for freshening up living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. Equipped with enhanced 3-stage filtration, smart control, and customizable scheduling, you can enter any season confident in your home’s air quality.
