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When you’re an athlete, your body is the most important tool you have. This is why it’s of the utmost importance to make sure it’s in working order. Unfortunately, the spring season that’s great for all kinds of sports is also the one where allergies are the most widespread.
In the spring, there are many plants blooming and spreading pollen all around. Every individual reacts to pollen in a different manner, but there’s no reason why athletes should be exempt. Just how bad are allergies for your athletic performance and how can you deal with them? We’ll try to answer this below:
Asthma
Many runners might suffer from asthma without even realizing it, especially if this issue is related to pollen. With such seasonal allergies, one might develop asthma despite not having an official diagnosis for most of their current lives.
When you’re running, you inhale a larger amount of air than people who’re simply walking or sitting. This way, you get more pollen and air pollution inside you, which irritates your respiratory system. The allergies and asthma might not affect your running per se, but it could reduce your motivation as well as your overall CNS (Central Nervous System) function, which is essential for proper performance.
Nasal Congestion
If you develop nasal congestion as a result of seasonal allergies, this might have a negative effect on your athletic ability for quite some time. That’s because such congestion results in wheezing, coughing, tightness in the throat, shortness of breath, and even chest pain. All of these might make one unfit for exercise unless they do something about their allergies.
Consulting
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If you experience some decrease in your athletic performance every year due to allergies, you might want to prepare for such situations beforehand. The first step here is to consult with an allergist or allergy specialist and have a test to check the possible reactions. You can consult with Waterbury ENT doctors for this purpose.
Once the doctor has determined the allergens that give you a reaction, you might have to get a treatment plan in order to manage the symptoms. This might include immunotherapy, which will help you shake off those allergies and get back to your athletic prowess.
Medication
Your treatment plan would likely include some form of medication, with non-drowsy options included. Antihistamines, intranasal corticosteroids, and several other medicines might come in handy here, especially if your allergies are triggering asthma. If you do take such drugs for your allergies, you might have to get a medical exemption from them if you have any drug tests coming up.
Avoiding Allergens
Athletes can simply avoid the allergies by steering clear of the major irritants, but this is sometimes not possible for those at a professional level. That’s because athletes have to perform in several different places and in all kinds of atmospheres.
In some cases, though, the athlete’s coach might pull him out of a race due to an extremely high level of pollen in a certain areas surroundings. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the pollen counts no matter where you are, and avoid the outdoors as much as possible when they’re high.
The Takeaway
Knowing about the impact of allergies and how to recover from them is important for athletes, as they’re more likely to be outdoors than other people. If you’re an athlete that’s especially prone to spring allergies, the guidance above may help you enhance your performance in the coming pollen season.
Author’s Bio
Airto Zamorano is the CEO and Co-Founder of Numana SEO and Numana Medical. He is an experienced business leader and digital marketer with a track record of success.
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