‘How to Stop Hayfever from Ruining your Workouts’
Hayfever is a type of allergic rhinitis caused by an overreaction of the body’s immune system to pollen. The allergen causes inflammation on the inside of the nose and spreads to the sinuses, eyes and throat. You could be allergic to tree pollen (released in the Spring), grass pollen (released from the end of Spring into early Summer), and weed pollen (released in the late Autumn). According to one study, the UK has the highest prevalence rates in the world, with about 25% of the population suffering from hayfever. This means that in England alone, there are probably over 10 million people suffering. However, according to that same study, you are more likely to suffer if you have a family history of asthma or eczema.
Hayfever can weaken nasal flow by up to 80%, impairing breathing and adversely affecting your cardiovascular performance. It also affects your concentration, as the body is more tired because your immune system is working overtime.
The symptoms of hayfever can be intensified by high air pollution, so if you can, try exercising away from the busy, central areas of towns and cities. Research has shown that keeping 300m away from main roads can hugely decrease the amount of pollution in the air and leave you breathing in cleaner air.
Try exercising in places that have fewer green areas than others. If you live in a town or city, leave the parks behind and try taking that run along the river or canal, where there’s less pollen and likely lower air pollution too. Wearing sunglasses whilst you exercise can also help to prevent pollen getting into your eyes.
Changing your daily schedule might be inconvenient but it can make a huge difference to your performance. Because plants tend to release their pollen in the early morning and later afternoon, these are the worst times to go out. Unfortunately, before and after work (aka early morning and late afternoon) are also the most convenient times to get outside and exercise! If you can, try to exercise outside on your lunch break, but remember to rehydrate well as this tends to be the warmest time of the day. Alternatively, you could wait until the evening to exercise, it tends to be cooler then too!
Pollen sticks to your clothing so avoid hanging your workout clothes on the washing line on high pollen days, as pollen will settle on it and affect your next workout. Also, change out of your workout clothes as soon as you’re home and take a shower to remove any traces of pollen.
You can find out if it’s going to be a high pollen day by checking the Met Office website for the pollen forecast. I’ve also noticed that some channels show the pollen forecast with the weather forecast on the TV.