Mucinex D Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing
A Runny Nose During Exercise Is *So* Annoying. Here's How To Put A Stop To It
Have you ever gone for a run or taken a group fitness class and found yourself wiping your nose the entire time? Annoying, yes. But it's also pretty normal for your nose to run during exercise."The nasal passages have a normal physiologic response to different levels of activity," says Michael Yong, MD, board-certified otolaryngologist and fellowship-trained neurorhinologist at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California.
Aerobic activities such as cycling, running, and hiking tend to create more of a response, but any exercise can have an effect, Dr. Yong continues. When your heart rate increases, the lining of your nasal cavity tightens up so more air is able to travel into your nose. When this happens, the mucus produced in the nose becomes thinner and runnier than normal.
"This can result in some dripping in the front of the nose or at the back of the throat," Yong says.
Still, some people may be more prone to a runny nose during exercise (aka exercise-induced rhinitis) than others. Some people even experience sneezing, itching, and congestion.
Ahead, experts break down the potential reasons your workouts give you the sniffles and how to prevent them.
1. You have allergic rhinitisWith more air flowing into the nasal passages during exercise, there's a greater risk of irritants finding their way in—especially if you have allergic rhinitis (nasal allergies).
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Allergic rhinitis is also commonly known as hay fever. It occurs when your immune system overreacts to something in the environment, such as pollen or mold, causing runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes, mouth, or skin, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Combine an allergen with the normal effects of exercise on the nasal passages, and you've got a surefire recipe for a runny nose disaster.
To lower your odds of a runny nose, choose your workout location carefully. For example, avoid exercising outdoors on high pollen days if you're allergic to pollen, says Tiffany Owens, MD, allergist and immunologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
A daily nasal spray with antihistamines and/or corticosteroids may also help by lowering inflammation of the nasal lining. "Some patients with allergic irritation inside the nose find that this helps it be less reactive during any time, but especially when exercising," Yong says.
You can get prescription and over-the-counter nasal sprays using different medication types. Chat with your doctor to find the best option for you.
It's perfectly normal for your nose to get runny during a workout.
2. You have nonallergic rhinitisIf your nose gets stuffy or drippy during exercise but you don't have itchiness (or illness), you may have nonallergic rhinitis.
Unlike allergic rhinitis, nonallergic rhinitis has no clear cause, per the Mayo Clinic. However, Yong describes it as an issue of nerve sensitivity inside the nose. Basically, the nerves inside your nasal passages are over-sensitive to certain triggers, which could include weather changes, medications, smells, hot or spicy foods, and irritants like dust or fumes. When exposed to these triggers, your nose reacts by creating more mucus.
Similar to its allergic cousin, nonallergic rhinitis can make your nose run during exercise if you encounter triggers. Think: Walking outside during the winter when it's a bit colder out, doing yoga in a heated room, or inhaling greater amounts of fumes from passing cars while running.
Avoiding your triggers is the best way to prevent a runny nose during exercise. However, because this isn't realistic for many of us, it's worth talking to your doctor about other options, including medication.
"We often prescribe an anticholinergic spray called Atrovent, which acts to really dampen the nerve sensitivity and reactivity inside the nose, which can help to reduce the stimulation of the mucus glands and ultimately reduce the amount of mucus produced during those periods of activity," Yong says.
The anticholinergic spray is typically used on an as-needed basis, so if you often have reactions from exercise, you could take it before your workout, Yong adds.
3. You have a deviated septumOwens notes that there could be a structural reason for your runny nose during exercise: A deviated septum.
If you have a deviated septum, the thin wall of bone and cartilage that divides the inside of the nose in half (the nasal septum) is displaced to one side. This makes one nasal passage smaller than the other.
It's estimated that as many as 80 percent of people have a deviated septum, per the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Some of us were born with it, while others got it from trauma or injury to the nose.
For many, their deviated septum causes no issue. However, for others, their deviated septum is severe enough to block one side of the nose and create congestion. You may find this congestion causes your nose to run during a workout sesh.
If that's the case, your doctor can recommend medications that can manage your symptoms. These may include decongestants (best used short-term) to reduce nasal tissue swelling, antihistamines to prevent allergy symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, and nasal steroid sprays to reduce nasal swelling, per the Mayo Clinic.
Who's most likely to get a runny nose during exercise?It's perfectly normal for your nose to get runny during a workout. However, people with allergic rhinitis, nonallergic rhinitis, and/or a significantly deviated septum are more likely to experience nasal drippage.
Even within those groups, certain people may be more affected than others. "For nonallergic rhinitis, we tend to see, anecdotally, as people get older, sometimes that can have an effect on the nerves inside the nose, which can end up in people having more mucus production," Yong says.
Yong adds that people with sinus infections may have a higher likelihood of a runny nose during everyday life and exercise.
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Why Is There So Much TV Right Now?
This week:It's the time of the year when each week there are seemingly two dozen new TV series or seasons dropping. DVRs are short-circuiting. Bank accounts are drained from streaming service subscriptions. And when people ask me what to watch, there are so many options that my brain goes blank and I just say, "I don't know." The reason for this is that the deadline for Emmys consideration is the end of May, so studios are rushing to release their contenders in time. That also, theoretically, means the options are good. That's, uh, not the case for everything. But should your body's reaction to spring weather be like mine—throat closes, eyes go dry, incessant sneezing and runny nose—there's plenty out now making the case for you to spend the coming months indoors.
Shōgun is the most ambitious (and most expensive) series FX has ever done. It doesn't just look like it, but it is also totally worth the investment; it's clear the goal was for it to be the network's version of a Game of Thrones, and it's living up to that so far.
I love when a show seems like it was made specifically for me, so I'd like to thank everyone involved in Apple TV+'s Palm Royale. The cast alone is bonkers: Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Josh Lucas, and Ricky Martin. The soap opera ridiculousness of the plot's various mysteries reminds me of Desperate Housewives, while Wiig's performance is kooky and heartbreakingly empathetic in only a way she can pull off. Plus, the costumes!
Netflix
Netflix's Girls5eva is often compared to 30 Rock because of Tina Fey's involvement in both shows. But the show's comedy itself is why it's a worthy successor, packed with outrageous characters spitting out jokes at a speed that makes you dizzy with laughter.
ABC's Abbott Elementary and CBS' Ghosts continue to be my favorite comfort watches, and both network comedies have not skipped a beat in their third seasons. And there's more that I haven't even been able to get to that I've heard great things about, like Prime Video's 3 Body Problem and Disney+'s X-Men '97. So there's no need to stock up on Claritin; watch all this TV instead.
Justice for Elizabeth BerkleyThe Academy Museum screened the notorious 1995 flop-turned-camp-classic Showgirls this week, to a completely sold-out crowd. On hand to introduce the film was star Elizabeth Berkley, who has triumphed over years of being a Hollywood punchline because of the film to being admired for her tenacity as Nomi Malone as she and the movie are embraced.
I love everything about this, but especially her speech. She said that she and her mother thought she might be nominated for an Oscar for the part: "Every girl in Hollywood had fought for this role. So it was not a strange thing to ask. So tonight I'd like to thank the Academy… Museum."
United Artists
She also got a standing ovation after thanking the people who championed the film over the years, saying, "I'm so grateful that the film has found its way not only in your hearts but especially the LGBTQ community."
Berkley and Showgirls being in the news again provided the occasion for a clip to go viral from the sorely underrated reboot of Saved By the Bell that y'all slept on. In it, her character, Jessi Spano, references her days in Vegas after college and transforms into Nomi Malone. Watch it here.
The Juice Is LooseA choir of children creepily singing a slowed-down version of a popular song is my least favorite movie trailer gimmick. An exception, forever and always, is "Creep" in The Social Network trailer and, now, apparently this. The trailer for Beetlejuice 2 is forgiven because a) giving "Day-O," of all songs, this treatment is inherently hilarious and b) the teaser looks really good.
Warner Bros.
Watch it here.
I Couldn't Be HappierI swear I'm trying to do everything in my power not to make being excited for the Wicked movie my entire personality, but look at that photo! (Check out more in the Vanity Fair exclusive.)
Vanity Fair What to see this week:
Road House: And not just to see Jake Gyllenhaal's body. Definitely not just that. (Now in theaters)
We Were the Lucky Ones: Get ready to sob. (Mar. 28 on Hulu)
3 Body Problem: Could this be the next Game of Thrones? Could anything? (Now on Prime Video)
What to skip this week:Immaculate: Sydney Sweeney's hot streak comes to an end. (Now in theaters)
Shirley: Shirley Chisholm deserved a better biopic. (Now on Netflix)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: Who you gonna call to get them to stop making Ghostbusters movies? (Now in theaters)
Ask A Pharmacist: Getting Ahead Of Pesky Seasonal Allergies
Runny nose, itchy eyes and constant sneezing mean it's already allergy season!
Seasonal allergies develop when the body's immune system overreacts to something in the environment. The most common culprits for seasonal allergies are tree, grass, and ragweed pollens.
Whatever the cause, allergies can make you feel miserable, but don't fret, there are many options for over-the-counter allergy relief!
Antihistamines, like Allegra and Zyrtec, can help relieve many seasonal allergy symptoms, and nasal decongestants like Sudafed can also be used to help reduce nasal and sinus swelling and pain.
You can also take steps to try to avoid your seasonal allergy triggers whenever possible by monitoring pollen counts and keeping your home and car windows shut during allergy season.
If you have questions about the seasonal allergy medications, ask your Kinney Pharmacist!
Watch the video above to learn more.
Ask a Pharmacist is sponsored by Kinney Drugs.
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