Symptom day log for hay fever or a cold: what to note each day and bring to the appointment
A two-week symptom day log for hay fever or a cold: what to note each day, how to count symptom days and pollen values, and what to bring to the doctor.
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Whether a cold or hay fever is behind your runny nose, you see it in your days, not in a single moment. You keep those days on paper or in the symptom diary in Sam, which shows your symptom days in the monthly report. A cold usually clears up within about two weeks, while an allergy often lasts for weeks and returns in the same season year after year. Itchy or watery eyes point more to an allergy, and a fever points away from hay fever.
This text shows what you count across your days so the pattern becomes visible, and when a doctor visit or the emergency number is right.
How you recognise the direction
According to the NHS, a cold usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks, while hay fever can last for weeks or months. Itchy, watery eyes are typical of allergies according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), and hay fever does not cause a fever according to the AAFA and the ACAAI.
These hints are no diagnosis; the pattern over days and weeks counts. The full list of cold vs hay fever symptoms compared has its own article.
Why a single day says little
A blocked nose can be harmless on a rainy day and back the next sunny day. Only over several days does it show whether the symptoms are constant, worse at night, or come whenever the pollen values rise.
That pattern is exactly what your doctor finds valuable. A single description from memory makes it hard to say whether it has already been weeks. A row of dated days shows it at a glance. If hay fever hits a child, hay fever in children: poor sleep and school covers that side.
Count for yourself: symptom days, duration, pollen values
Instead of guessing, you gather numbers. Three of them make the pattern visible:
- How many days did you have symptoms? Note per day whether nose and eyes were free, mild or strongly affected.
- How long has the current phase lasted? Count the days since the start, not backwards from today.
- How high were the reported pollen values on those days? Note them, or look them up on your entries.
In the hay fever program, a diary with a doctor report, Sam attaches the reported pollen values of the provider to your entries if you share your approximate location. You only enter how your nose and eyes feel.
What you enter for your days
One line per day is enough, best written on the same day:
- The date.
- Nose: free, mild, strongly affected.
- Eyes: no, mild, strong symptoms.
- The duration of the current phase in days.
- Symptom-free? Write the good days too, otherwise the comparison base is missing.
Backdated catch-up entries distort the duration, so enter briefly each day instead. Which practice is right for hay fever is covered in which doctor for hay fever.
When you go to the doctor or the emergency room instead of counting
These signs belong in medical assessment, not in a diary:
- Fever and strong aching muscles: talk to your doctor, especially if it does not get better or is new.
- Shortness of breath, wheezing or swelling of the face or throat: this can be an emergency. With acute shortness of breath, call your local emergency number right away (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).
Sam does not recognise an emergency or a worsening. If you are looking for family support with an allergy, the Friends and Family page helps.
Keep your days in Sam and bring the numbers to the appointment
You bring a course of your days to the visit, instead of estimating from memory how long the nose has been running and on how many days you had symptoms.
- In the symptom diary you note each day whether nose and eyes were free, mild or strongly affected.
- With your approximate location, the hay fever program shows you the provider's pollen values on your days, and sleep comes from Apple Health.
- The doctor report as a PDF summarises the period you choose and counts your symptom days and the days in between.
Sam does not tell a cold apart from hay fever. It only counts your days.
Try Sam for freeSam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.
Related reading
- Hay fever symptoms: signs, season and diary
- Hay fever in daily life: managing pollen season
- Hay fever in October: symptoms without pollen
- Pollen diary and allergy diary: PDF, online or app?
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- NHS: Common cold (reviewed 22 March 2024)
- NHS: Hay fever (reviewed 21 March 2024)
- Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA): Nasal allergies (rhinitis) (medical review March 2026)
- Allergy UK: Hay fever and allergic rhinitis
- American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI): Hay fever (reviewed 17 June 2020)
More on Hay Fever
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I log my days before the appointment?+
At least as long as a cold usually lasts: according to the NHS, that is 1 to 2 weeks. If the symptoms go on longer or return in the same season, that points more to an allergy. Note every day, the good ones too. Only the assessment at the practice decides what it is, and your log helps.
How long does a cold last compared with hay fever?+
According to the NHS, a cold usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks. Allergy symptoms last according to the AAFA as long as the allergen is in the air (usually 2 to 3 weeks per allergen), and usually return at the same time each year. The NHS says hay fever can last for weeks or months. If your symptoms last longer than a cold, that points more to an allergy.
Why are itchy or watery eyes a sign of hay fever?+
Itchy and watery eyes, and an itchy throat or nose, are typical of allergies and less common with a cold, according to the AAFA. A fever is not a feature of hay fever, according to the AAFA and the ACAAI. The NHS lists a runny nose, sneezing, a sore throat, a cough and feeling tired as cold symptoms, and a high temperature and aching muscles among the things you may also have. One single feature does not decide it, only the pattern over several days.
What do I count over several days to see the pattern?+
Note per day whether your nose and eyes were free, mild or strongly affected, how long the symptoms have lasted, and how high the reported pollen values were on those days. From the number of symptom days and the course over weeks, your doctor reads more than from a description from memory, because the pattern becomes visible.
Can Sam tell me whether it is hay fever or a cold?+
No. Sam does not tell a cold apart from hay fever and makes no diagnosis. Sam only counts your days: symptoms, duration and the pollen values on your entries. What the symptoms mean is clarified at the practice.