Cycling good for allergies?

[Melalvai]

My spring allergies have been acting up (juniper, I think). I noticed that they are worse when:
I'm in a car
I'm trying to sleep
I'm sitting still and quiet

and better when:
I'm riding my bike
I'm doing anything active

Why? I asked the dr and she had no clue. She made up a couple theories on the spot. The best sounding one was that the increased speed of the air passing through the nasal passages meant the pollen wasn't around long enough to settle on the membranes and cause a reaction.

[Grog]

Good for you! For my husband it's the opposite.

As for myself, my nose runs like a river all the time. No allergies, according to multiple tests. Such is life.

[kat_h]

As for myself, my nose runs like a river all the time. No allergies, according to multiple tests. Such is life.

Have you tried a neti pot?

I find the only thing that helps my allergies is living in a cold, dry climate with a short growing season. I'll start to suffer a bit sometime next month and it'll all be over by mid September.

[Grog]

Have you tried a neti pot?


I've thought about that, just haven't gathered the energy to go and get one. In the meantime, I just go for a run. It gets everything - really, everything - out!

[tc1]

How about, all of your close neighbors have juniper trees? Or you have juniper trees? And when you go for a ride you are away from the pollen? My allergies bother me the least when I ride or skate Alki- the area receives strong wind from over the saltwater.

[OakLeaf]

In me, it's because of the immunosuppressive effects of the stress hormones that flow during exertion. If I could only ride my bike nonstop from mid-July through the end of September, I wouldn't have to worry about the ragweed pollen :cool:. I remember vividly one day, years ago when I was racing, when I was sneezing uncontrollably on the sidelines, but as soon as my race started, I was breathing perfectly clearly.

Air flow actually brings more pollen into the nasal passages - as any motorcyclist with allergies will tell you. Again during the ragweed season, if I want to ride my motorcycle at all, I have to jam an OSHA-approved respirator into my helmet, or I'll be too groggy from allergies to ride.