As we are now in the ‘allergic season’, Professor James Hull, leading Consultant Respiratory Physician at ISEH, shares expert advice and tips for managing symptoms of Hay fever to help ease discomfort when exercising/ training and participating in sports.
Professor James Hull recommends an approach with the acronym 'Peak' as explained below.
P – Prepare/Prevent: This includes working out when you are affected each year. For example, those with a tree pollen allergy are affected earlier in the year, so you need to act earlier – see below. Don’t wait to get into crisis mode and then try and scramble for treatment. Stock up on treatments.
E – Eliminate: Try and avoid pollen exposure. Dry your kit indoors, wash your hair after a pollen-exposed training session, train when pollen count is forecast to be low (or indoors if forecast to be high), wear wrap-around sunglasses, use nasal ointment to catch pollen, and nasal cotton wool if warming up on a turbo before racing outside.
A – Act early: Start anti-histamines around the time your symptoms might first start. Use nasal douching with saline to wash away pollen, and use nasal sprays, but beware of some prohibited treatments by anti-doping rules. Avoid sedating antihistamines.
K– Keep on top/re-evaluate: Don’t just stop doing the treatments because symptoms go away – the pollen count may rise and then you’ll be affected again. If it does persist, then see an allergist because you may be suitable for desensitisation.
For further information and insight on this topic, additional insight and advice from Professor James Hull can be found during a previous interview with 220 Triathlon.