“How to Deal with Hay Fever While Running: Tips and Tricks”

You can every Monday morning via the Runner’s World Instagram account send in all your burning (running) questions. This week we answer a question from Hindrik Kruizinga (runforkikahindrik), which many other runners also struggle with: how do you deal with hay fever while running? You can breathe less well, have to sneeze, your eyes itch or water – all while you just want to walk around. You can read below how you can still enjoy your running training as much as possible at this time of year.

Also a question? Keep an eye on our Instagram stories and respond on Monday morning with your question. Who knows, you may soon find the answer on our website.

A strong immune system can help you deal with hay fever

With hay fever, your whole body reacts, often before you know it. It is therefore also advisable – in addition to the tricks below – to look at your allergy in a holistic way. What does that mean? Well, all known strategies to keep your body and immune system as strong as possible. Make sure you sleep well and enough and limit stress. Exercise regularly and listen carefully to your body: overtraining makes your immune system weaker.

The important role of diet in hay fever

The majority of your resistance is in your intestinal flora, which makes a healthy and varied diet so important. Some foods such as oily fish and green leafy vegetables have an anti-inflammatory effect and can therefore help.

In addition, a large part of the tissue that produces histamine is also in your intestines. Histamine is an important body’s own substance, but hypersensitivity or too high values ​​cause the well-known hay fever complaints. To avoid having too much histamine in your body, it is a good idea to (during allergy season) Avoid foods high in histamine, such as avocado, tomatoes, aged cheese, fermented products and canned fish. Fortunately, there are also several foods that act as natural antihistamines. Chamomile and nettle tea also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can actually lower histamine. If in doubt, consult a dietician.

What can you do if you suffer from hay fever and still want to run?

• Go at the right time: Not everyone likes running in the rain, but it’s a good idea if you suffer from hay fever. After a heavy downpour, the air is, as it were, cleaned, so you are less bothered by pollen. This makes it more difficult to plan your training moment, but if it comes out, make use of it. And: in the morning there are often less pollen in the air, so it’s high time to become a morning runner.

• To monitor pollen levels: In many weather apps you will now also find information about pollen, or go for a separate hay fever radar or sites such as https://pollennieuws.nl/. This way you are a bit better prepared and you can estimate when you especially not must walk.
• Wear (sun)glasses: If your eyes are irritated by pollen, goggles can prevent the wind from making things worse. In addition, you are less likely to rub your eyes if you wear glasses.
• Vaseline: Many runners with hay fever swear by Vaseline around the nose and under the eyes. The pollen (partially) sticks to it so that you inhale less of it and therefore suffer less.
• Immediately take off your clothes and take a shower at home: Pollen easily gets stuck in the fibers of your clothes, but also on your skin in your hair (especially if you have long hair). So you come home from running, walk straight to the bathroom, throw your clothes in the laundry (basket) and take a shower. Does your nose bother you a lot? Then you can immediately rinse your nose with water.
• Local honey: Out research shows that local honey can help with seasonal allergies. It is important that the honey comes from your area so that it contains small amounts of the allergens that can actually be found in your area. Ideally, you start a month before the hay fever really starts and eat a tablespoon of the local honey every day. This way your body can slowly get used to it and build up sufficient defenses.
• Medication: There are so many resources available these days that can help with hay fever complaints. What works for one may not work for another, so it pays to test different options. You can also look for suitable medication together with your doctor or consider other solutions, such as immune therapy.

Is running outside absolutely impossible with your hay fever? Then you can always use the treadmill in the gym. It may seem less fun, but running on the treadmill also has advantages.

Franziska Mueller
Franziska works as a freelance Digital Editor at Runner’s World where she can combine her love of running with her passion for writing.