Allergies Ruining Your Ride? Here’s How to Get Symptoms Under Control
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If it feels like seasonal allergies have been getting worse, and allergy season is dragging on longer than ever, you’re not imagining it. Research indicates that allergy season has blossomed to last 20 days longer on average than it did nearly 30 years ago, and it has also become more intense thanks to a 21-percent uptick in the concentration of allergens, like pollen.
For the 26 percent of adults in the U.S. who suffer from allergies, according to the CDC, this is far from good news. An attack of allergy symptoms like itchy eyes, congestion, and a runny nose is never fun, but when you’re out on a ride breathing hard and exerting yourself, it can be more than just annoying. It can also affect your performance along with your enjoyment. After all, it’s pretty challenging to feel and ride your best when you’re having trouble breathing, want to scratch your itchy eyes out, or you can’t stop blowing your nose.
To help you get through allergy season on the bike, we’ve collected the most effective tips for keeping allergy symptoms at bay. Here’s what to do before your ride, after your ride, and which allergy management methods to try.
Preride Allergy Prevention Strategies
Check Pollen Counts in Your Area
Checking pollen counts before you head out the door can help you determine how vulnerable you’ll be to developing allergy symptoms during the course of your ride. It can also give you a hint as to how bad your symptoms might be if they do come up.
The National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy for Allergy, Asthma & Immunology offers an online map tool that makes it easy to check not just how high pollen and mold levels are, but also exactly what kinds of pollen and mold are at high levels. You can also head to pollen.com to easily see the stats.
This information can be especially helpful if you have the results of an allergen test, such as the skin prick test or an at-home allergy test, and know what specific types of pollen and mold you’re allergic to.
“If the pollen count is high and you have allergic eye symptoms, I would recommend eye drops, such as Pataday or Zaditor,” says Sandra M Gawchik, D.O., a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. “Consider taking a ride later in the day when the pollen count is lower, too.”
Also, when scoping out pollen counts, consider how windy it is outside. “A rider has higher exposure to pollen on windy days,” Gawchik says.
Take Allergy Meds Before You Head Out for Your Ride
Over-the-counter allergy medications are usually the first line of defense when annoying symptoms like congestion and dry, itchy eyes start to set in. Taking them before your ride instead of waiting for symptoms will help you get ahead of them before allergies spoil your outdoor fun. Better yet, you can take them daily during allergy season.
“There is a wide range of medications that are available for treating allergy symptoms while cycling,” Brian Scott, M.D., a family medicine specialist in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. “Most people start with an OTC non-sedating, 24-hour oral antihistamine. For severely itchy eyes—I experience severely itchy eyes when cycling in wooded areas in the spring—there are eye drops.”
Look for eye drops with antihistamines, which are available both over-the-counter and by prescription. If you mostly have congestion, you could also try an OTC nasal steroid or nasal antihistamine, Scott says.
“I would also consider one of the combination nasal sprays that contain an intranasal antihistamine, as well as an intranasal steroid,” adds Gawchik adds, who says examples are Dymista and Ryaltris (both of which require a prescription). “These work best used daily. If a rider can start [using the spray] before allergy season, the response is more rapid [when allergy season does hit].”
Over-the-counter nasal steroid sprays such as Flonase, Nasalcort, or Nasonex come with a caveat. “If an individual needs a nasal steroid for an extended period of time, they should consult with a physician,” Scott advises, so that a physician can adjust the dosage and frequency if necessary.
If you’ve tried several different over-the-counter options for allergy medications, nasal sprays, and eye drops, and are still not finding relief, Scott strongly recommends scheduling a visit with your primary care physician or with a board-certified allergist or immunologist.
Skip the Allergy Mask
One method for taming allergies that it’s better to avoid during your rides is using an outdoor allergy mask, as they’re not all that helpful for cyclists. “Part of the reason for this is that the eyes are still exposed,” Scott says. “Also, when exercising, there may be meaningful discomfort with breathing.”
Don’t Skip the Sunglasses
Being able to see clearly while riding is obviously extremely important, and it can become a challenge with watery, itchy eyes. To minimize this particular symptom as much as possible, keep as much of the pollen and mold from getting into your eyes in the first place.
“I would recommend wearing wrap sunglasses that fit tight to the face to prevent ocular pollen exposure,” Gawchik says.
Postride Allergy Prevention Strategies
Change Out of Your Clothes ASAP and Shower Right Away
Allergens like pollen or mold are often invisible to the human eye, but that doesn’t mean you’re not covered in them by the end of your ride. Allergens can cling to clothing and skin, especially if sweat is making it easier for the microscopic particles to stick.
Removing and washing your cycling kit and showering as soon as you can after a ride will prevent these particles from continuing to wreak allergy symptom havoc once you’ve finished riding.
“Showering and washing your hair after the ride removes pollen from hair and skin. Clothing should be changed so one is not having ongoing exposure to pollen,” Gawchik says. “This will allow for a pollen-free night of rest. However, please do not keep windows open when you get home!”
Flush Your Nasal Passages
An over-the-counter saline spray can be a great way to flush allergens and excess snot out of your nasal passages postride, and can also offer relief from congestion and sinus pressure, Scott says. Nasal irrigation, which entails rinsing your sinuses with a saline solution, can easily be done at home. There are several methods available for this, including Neti pots, rinse bottles, and containers or devices with specially designed attachments.
Unfortunately, while the relief from nasal irrigation or saline spray can feel like a god-send, the results are often short-lived according to Scott, and might not be right for everyone.
“Nasal saline rinse after cycling is helpful,” Gawchik agrees. “However, if someone is highly allergic they would get a better response starting one of the corticosteroid nasal sprays before the allergy season.”
How to Avoid Allergies Altogether
Working with a healthcare professional is always the smart way to go, as they can offer advice tailored to your unique allergy struggles. They can also help you manage allergies year round, so you’re not hit with such severe symptoms come spring.
If your allergies are too much to deal with after trying these tips and management methods, consider taking your rides inside during the worst of allergy season. While it won’t be the same as riding IRL, sometimes crushing a Zwift ride on a stationary trainer or rollers can beat out suffering through major allergy symptoms.
Plus, you can work on improving your fitness and cycling skills, such as cadence and training in different power zones, that will translate to the road once allergy season has passed without any distractions—or a runny nose.
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