If you’re an athlete or lead an active lifestyle, you know how important every facet of your health is to your athletic performance. You may not realize, however, just how significant an impact your allergies can have on your ability to run and play sports. Allergies can affect sleep quality, energy levels, oxygen intake, recovery speed and endurance, to name a few, and this can really slow you down. Let’s discuss how and why this happens, and what you can do to mitigate the effects.
How Do Allergies Affect the Body?
When foreign invaders enter the body, the immune system reacts to fight them off. In the case of allergies, that foreign invader is an allergen, like pollen, pet dander or dust, and while allergens are typically harmless to the body, the immune system reacts anyway.
The immune system releases chemicals called histamines, which control inflammation. Histamines cause the puffiness and itchiness typically associated with allergies, inflame the nasal passages and create mucus in the nose and throat to flush out the perceived threat.
How Do Allergies Affect Sports and Athletic Performance?
- Respiratory issues. Inflammation in the throat and nasal passages constricts your airflow, reducing your oxygen intake. This can be a big issue for endurance and your muscles, which need oxygen to keep exerting effort.
- Sleep disruption. Good sleep is critical for athletic performance, but allergies can keep you up at night, leading to grogginess and fatigue the next day. Bad news for recovery.
- Dehydration. Your body directs a lot of your hydration reserves to activate the immune system. This uses your valuable water intake at a faster rate, causing you to dehydrate faster than usual.
- Distracting symptoms. You cannot play or perform at your peak if you must stop every few minutes to sneeze, blow your nose or itch your eyes.
- Exercise-induced asthma. Chronic allergies increase your chances of developing exercise-induced asthma.
What Is Exercise-Induced Asthma?
Asthma is characterized by constriction of the throat and difficulty breathing. Common symptoms are coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, and these symptoms can range from mild to severe. Exercise-induced asthma involves all these same symptoms, and it is specifically triggered by sports or physical activity. Symptoms may appear during or after the activity, and in some cases may not occur until several hours after the activity.
How Can I Manage My Allergies to Improve Athletic Performance?
Since most sports take place outside, athletes are exposed to allergens much more frequently, causing ongoing issues with allergic reactions. While over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines and decongestants may help in daily life, they may not mitigate an athlete’s increased exposure and higher respiratory needs.
You may want to consider allergy immunotherapy as a long-term solution. Immunotherapy lessens the body’s reaction to an allergen, decreasing allergic reactions entirely. There are two main types of immunotherapy:
- Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT), which are drops or tablets taken daily.
- Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT) is a shot administered weekly. SCIT is the more common route.
These methods are very effective at decreasing allergy symptoms and maintaining peak athletic performance. Call Palmetto ENT & Allergy today for more information or to schedule an appointment.