You wake with a headache on a hazy morning, or your throat scratches after a lunchtime walk. Is it pollution, pollen, dehydration, or stress? Air quality headache complaints spike when PM2.5 rises — and many people feel pollution before they check an app.
Common symptoms of unhealthy air
Short-term exposure to elevated PM2.5 and ozone can cause headache, fatigue, eye irritation, sore throat, cough, and chest tightness. Sensitive individuals react at moderate AQI; others notice mainly on orange or red days. Wildfire smoke adds a sharp, acrid quality many recognise instantly.
- Headache + visible haze or high AQI: likely pollution contribution.
- Itchy eyes + sneezing without AQI spike: think pollen or allergies.
- Chest tightness on afternoon jogs in summer: consider ozone.
- Symptoms easing indoors with windows closed: outdoor air was a factor.
What to do
Cross-check how you feel with live AQI — patterns over a week beat one guess. Reduce outdoor exertion on high days, hydrate, and use indoor filtration during prolonged smoke. Persistent or severe symptoms deserve medical attention regardless of AQI.
Correlate your symptoms with live PM2.5 and AQI on Aether — data turns vague hunches into actionable habits.
Check live air quality on Aether