Hay Fever Symptoms: Typical Signs, How They Develop Over the Season and What Belongs in Your Diary
Hay fever symptoms explained simply: typical signs, how they change over the pollen season and what to note in a diary for your doctor.
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Hay fever shows up as sneezing, a blocked or runny nose and itchy, watery eyes during the pollen season. How hard it hits you and when it starts is best seen in a diary, on paper or in Sam, where you note each day with symptoms, sleep and medicines. This post describes the signs, how the season develops and what matters for your doctor.
What are the symptoms of hay fever?
According to IQWiG, they are frequent sneezing, a blocked or runny nose and, when the eyes are involved, conjunctivitis with itching. Doctors then speak of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. gesund.bund.de adds itching and asthma-like symptoms such as shortness of breath and cough. In severe cases hay fever makes you tired.
The NHS also names headaches, and describes cough and itchy, red or watery eyes. Not everything applies to everyone. Note what happens to you. A cough that only appears in pollen season is important information for your doctor.
How does hay fever develop over the season?
IQWiG says hay fever occurs only in the pollen season. When that is depends on the plant. IQWiG gives hazel in February, birch in April and grasses from mid-May to mid-August as German examples. Climate change can lengthen these periods. The NHS says that in the UK symptoms are usually worse between late March and September.
gesund.bund.de says symptoms are stronger on dry, warm days. Your local weather service may offer a pollen forecast. How sleep changes in the season is covered in sleep and hay fever: understanding your health data. How to manage daily life: hay fever and sleep: managing pollen season.
How do you tell hay fever from a cold?
One useful sign is timing. IQWiG says hay fever occurs only in the pollen season. It also separates hay fever from house dust mite allergy, which lasts all year.
The full comparison of duration, itching and discharge is in cold or allergies: differences in symptoms and duration. With diary entries over several weeks, you can see your own course yourself.
What belongs in your hay fever diary?
According to IQWiG, the doctor starts by asking about your symptoms. Notes from the season answer that more precisely than memory in autumn. To begin with, these points per day are enough:
- How the day was: good, so-so or bad.
- Which symptoms: blocked nose, runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, itchy or watery eyes.
- How strong: none, mild, moderate or severe.
- Whether your sleep was disturbed and whether the day suffered.
- Whether breathing symptoms came too: wheeze, tight chest, shortness of breath.
- What you took, such as tablets, nasal spray or eye drops.
- What you did about it: windows closed, a shower after being outside, laundry dried indoors.
An invented example: "Sat, 18 April. Bad day. Sneezing, eyes watering badly. Restless sleep. Tablet in the morning. Windows stayed shut." That is enough.
In the hay fever program in Sam, you record these with a few taps: day overview, symptoms from nose to eyes, disturbed sleep, effect on the day, breathing symptoms, medicines and your own measures. For entries made today, pollen and air quality values for your region are added when you share your location and values are available. Other complaints outside the season go into the symptom diary. Which form of diary suits you is covered in pollen diary and allergy diary: PDF, online or app?.
When do you talk to a doctor about it?
The NHS advises asking a pharmacist first. If symptoms get worse or pharmacy remedies do not help, the next step is your GP. According to the NHS, the GP can prescribe stronger treatments or refer you for immunotherapy, which gets you used to pollen step by step.
Do mention cough, shortness of breath or wheezing in pollen season. gesund.bund.de says allergic rhinitis can develop into allergic asthma after some years. It does not happen to everyone. Call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US) if your tongue or throat swells or you have trouble breathing or swallowing. The NHS names these as signs of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
Log hay fever days in Sam and take them to your appointment as a report
You bring a whole season in which every day has its symptoms, sleep and medicines, instead of trying to remember it in autumn.
- Instead of paper slips: you enter the day overview, symptoms, disturbed sleep and medicines in seconds, and for entries made today, pollen and air quality values for your region are added if you share your location.
- Instead of recollection: the doctor report as a PDF summarises symptom days, exposure and medicines for the period you choose.
Sam records what you enter and does not suggest a dose, which your doctor sets. The program starts after a diagnosis confirmed by a doctor. More in the hay fever program.
Try Sam HealthSam 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
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- NHS: Hay fever (reviewed 21 March 2024)
- NHS: Anaphylaxis (reviewed 21 June 2023)
- IQWiG, Gesundheitsinformation.de: Heuschnupfen (updated 31 May 2023, German)
- Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, gesund.bund.de: Heuschnupfen (as of 27 May 2024, German)
- Your Europe: Emergencies, the single European emergency number 112
- CDC: About heart attack, call 9-1-1 in the US
More on Hay Fever
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the symptoms of hay fever?+
According to the NHS, they include sneezing and coughing, a runny or blocked nose, and itchy, red or watery eyes. It also names tiredness and headaches. gesund.bund.de adds itching and asthma-like symptoms such as shortness of breath and cough.
When is the hay fever season?+
It depends on the plant. IQWiG gives hazel in February, birch in April and grasses from mid-May to mid-August as German examples. The NHS says symptoms are usually worse between late March and September in the UK. Climate change can lengthen these periods.
Why are some days worse than others?+
gesund.bund.de says symptoms are stronger on dry, warm days. Your diary shows which days were hard for you, and a local pollen forecast helps you compare.
What is the difference between hay fever and a cold?+
One useful sign is timing: IQWiG says hay fever occurs only in the pollen season. How duration, itching and discharge differ is covered in our post on allergies and colds. Your doctor makes the call.
What should I write in a hay fever diary?+
How the day was, which symptoms bothered you and how strongly, whether sleep and daily life suffered, what you took and what you did about it. Breathing symptoms belong in it too, so you can raise them with your doctor.
Can hay fever turn into asthma?+
gesund.bund.de says allergic rhinitis can develop into allergic asthma after some years. IQWiG and gesund.bund.de say people with asthma have more attacks when pollen counts are high. This does not happen to everyone. Mention cough, shortness of breath or wheezing to your doctor.
How is hay fever diagnosed?+
According to IQWiG, the doctor first asks about your symptoms. A prick test often follows, where allergens are applied to the skin of the forearm. gesund.bund.de also names a provocation test on the nose or eyes.