text: why are my hay fever symptoms worse early in the morning? i get woken every morning between 4-5a.m. with a sneezing attack that lasts for about an hour or more. then the allergies aren't so bad for the rest of the day, but i always wonder why i have to suffer through two awful hours before the symptoms improve. it's because the pollen counts are higher in the morning.  plants release their pollen earlier in the day, thus anyone with hayfever will find this part of the day more annoying.