Pollen symptom diary template for comparing counts and symptoms

Copy the pollen symptom diary

At the top of your sheet, write the source, area or station, and whether it’s a forecast or a measured count. If you travel, note where you spent the day. Record the type of pollen if the provider breaks it out, and copy the provider’s units or categories as shown.

For UK forecasts, start with the Met Office pollen forecast. In the US, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology explains pollen counts and links to monitoring resources. Check the coverage for your area and how often the station posts an update. If nothing is available for that date, write “no local reading”.

Sources: Met Office pollen forecast; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

See what a week can and can’t tell you

This is a fictional example using one regional provider’s categories. The symptoms are the writer’s own observations.

On Monday and Tuesday, the forecast category was the same and the days looked different. The different time outdoors is a detail worth keeping. Wednesday is the row you might forget if you only looked up pollen after a sneezy afternoon. Thursday and Friday each have a different missing piece. Keep both so a blank never turns into “low pollen” or “felt fine”.

Record the symptoms you actually noticed

You can write “eyes itchy, sneezing, no blockage” instead of giving the whole day one score. Include when symptoms appeared, especially if they started before you went outside. If you used a medicine you already take, note when you used it as context. Pollen can cause hay fever, and the NHS guide to allergic rhinitis also lists other possible allergens, including dust mites, animal dander and mould. Use your diary to describe what happened and when you want to ask about it.

AirBloom is being built to put available local pollen and symptom check-ins in one view. Your own note about where you spent the afternoon is still worth keeping. A city-level reading can give you the day’s context while your notes describe the places you actually went.

Source: NHS guide to allergic rhinitis

• AirBloom

What if your provider only shows a daily category

Write “high forecast” or “low forecast” exactly as the provider displays it. You can still compare your own entries across those days. If you switch to a provider that reports a measured count, start a new set of comparisons and write the units at the top. Keep tree, grass and weed pollen in separate fields if your source distinguishes them.

Compare like with like

Look for dates with the same provider, area and pollen type, then compare symptoms and time outdoors. Keep a day with a high forecast and few symptoms and a day with a low forecast and more symptoms if both occurred. If a change keeps showing up, bring two or three dates to a pharmacist or healthcare professional, especially if symptoms are worsening or affecting sleep or everyday life. For other kinds of daily variation, see why sinus symptoms change day to day. NHS allergic rhinitis guidance

Source: NHS guide to allergic rhinitis

• why sinus symptoms change day to day