With your feet pounding the pavement, track or treadmill and your eyes taking in the scenery in front of you, running can be both an exhilarating and relaxing sport. However, when your nose starts running and your sinuses become congested, the sport quickly becomes frustrating. Many people experience a runny nose while they are running. In most cases, this bothersome symptom can be associated with exercise-induced rhinitis, a simple inflammation of the nasal passages.
Identification
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, rhinitis is "an inflammation of the nasal mucosa." The two main types of rhinitis are allergic rhinitis and nonallergic rhinitis. Exercise-induced rhinitis falls under the category of nonallergic rhinitis, because there is no actual allergic reaction involved.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of exercise-induced rhinitis is a stuffy, runny nose. In most cases, this symptom becomes particularly worse while running and clears up during your recovery period. You might also notice an excessive accumulation of mucus in the back of the throat.
Causes
Various triggers irritate the nasal membranes, causing an episode of exercise-induced rhinitis. These triggers include irritants in the air, odors or weather changes while running. The problem may become particularly worse when running outdoors, where the environmental triggers increase dramatically. Environmental irritants include dust, smog, humidity and temperature. Pungent odors may also pervade your nasal sinuses when running outdoors, such as those from cars, burning leaves or cigarette smoke. Running indoors in a dusty or dry environment might also cause an episode of nonallergic rhinitis.
Treatment
For mild cases of exercise-induced rhinitis, the Mayo Clinic recommends simply avoiding the triggers as much as possible. During rhinitis episodes, rinse the nasal passages with a neti pot or bulb syringe. Blow your nose regularly to remove irritants from the nasal passages and drink plenty of water to keep your airways hydrated. When running indoors, use a humidifier to add moisture to the air. For more severe cases of nonallergic rhinitis, various nasal sprays and oral decongestants might also be recommended to relieve the symptoms.
Considerations
If your runny nose is accompanied by other symptoms, you might have allergic rhinitis instead of nonallergic rhinitis. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis include itching in the eyes, nose or throat, sneezing, watery eyes, headache, fatigue and overall body weakness. As explained by the American Academy of Family Physicians, allergic rhinitis is a "systemic illness," affecting more than one part of the body. If your nose begins running while you are running, take note of any additional symptoms you have. In the case of allergic rhinitis, you will likely need to visit a physician to determine the cause of the inflammation and the proper treatment.
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