Run Well Juliet McGrattan (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖

shove a tissue in your pocket, use your sleeve or master the ‘snot rocket’, but please check there isn’t anyone behind you!

Did you know?

Your respiratory tract produces more than a litre of mucous per day!

Q Hay fever destroys my summer running. Do you have any tips on managing it?

A The hay fever season can extend from March to October for some people, depending on which pollens trigger their symptoms. Itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose and sneezing are the usual symptoms, but hay fever can also cause coughing and wheezing, particularly in people who have asthma. In the UK, you can visit the Met Office daily pollen forecast online and avoid running on days when the count is at its highest or opt to run indoors on a treadmill instead (remember to keep the windows closed). The count is likely to be lowest on cooler days, during and after rain, and when there isn’t too much wind to blow the pollen around, so get your trainers on and head out when these days appear.

When you do run, try to reduce the amount of pollen reaching your face. A hat with a brim, wraparound sunglasses and a light scarf to cover your mouth will all help. Try dabbing some petroleum jelly just at the entrance to your nostrils to trap pollen. When you’ve finished running, shower straight away, and wash your hair and your running kit to remove the pollen. Dry your running kit indoors to avoid it getting coated with pollen. As with a runny nose (rhinitis), there are plenty of medications you can buy from the pharmacy to ease and prevent hay fever symptoms. You can direct treatment at the worst affected area, for example eye drops for itchy eyes and a nasal spray for sneezing, or you can take oral antihistamines to work throughout the body. Sometimes you need a combination of both, but your pharmacist can advise you. If hay fever is upsetting your asthma control, then make an appointment with your asthma nurse or GP for an assessment.

Q Will running will help my asthma?

A The belief that people with asthma shouldn’t exercise has long been discarded – we now have plenty of evidence that exercise helps asthma. A review in 2013 looked at 21 studies involving asthma and exercise (including running), and found no adverse effects on the participants’ asthma from exercising. In fact, there was an improvement in cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) fitness and an improved health-related quality of life too. Another review of the literature, published in the Journal of Asthma also in 2013, found that regular exercise improved the management of asthma symptoms, lung function and mental health, and that inactive people with asthma had more asthma-related difficulties. So regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for people with asthma. However, if at any point you have difficult-to-control or severe asthma, then it’s essential that you speak to your health care team before you exercise.

Real-life runners

Running quickly for long periods of time hasn’t been easy for me with asthma. However, when I slow my pace and keep it relaxed and steady, I find I can run amazing distances that I never thought possible! The cold weather can cause me to cough, but I usually still run, and after I have warmed up it tends to calm down. I also find a neck scarf and thermal layers are really helpful in preventing symptoms on cold days.

Abi Chapman, runner and mum

Q What’s the best way to stop running triggering my asthma symptoms?

A Make sure you attend regularly for asthma checks with your nurse or doctor, even if you feel well. These are an opportunity to have your lung function checked, talk through any symptoms you are having and make sure you remain on the most appropriate treatment. Your nurse or doctor will also devise an asthma action plan so you feel confident about how to manage your asthma between checks and know exactly when you should seek help or further treatment.

Exercise is a common trigger for asthma, especially during hay fever season or in the winter months, when cold dry air can bring on symptoms. Adequate treatment should mean that you are able to exercise freely, although you may have to step up your treatment plan to keep good control during the times of year that you find hardest. Your ‘preventer’ inhalers (usually brown) are the mainstay of your treatment. They reduce inflammation in the lungs and stop symptoms occurring in the first place, so it’s vital to take these regularly. You should always carry your ‘reliever’ inhaler (usually blue) with you when you run, but it isn’t necessary to take it before you set off. Include a good warm-up and cool-down as part of your run to gradually get your lungs used to the change of exertion. See the tips on avoiding exposure to triggers in the question on hay fever above, but the trick of warming the air you breathe by covering your mouth and nose with a light scarf is really helpful for winter running with asthma. If you feel your asthma is not fully under control, for example if you have a viral infection, then don’t run and follow the steps in your personalised asthma action plan.

Did you know?

The right lung is bigger than the left lung, because the left lung has a ‘cardiac notch’ carved out of it to make space for the heart.

Q I’m OK normally, but I seem to get wheezy and cough when I get home afterwards. Do I have asthma?

A You may have heard the term ‘exercise-induced asthma’ (EIA), it refers to asthmatic symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing or chest tightness, which occur during or, more often, after exercise. It is sometimes referred to as ‘exercise-induced bronchospasm’ (EIB), describing the way the bronchi (small airways in the lungs) spasm and narrow in response to exercise. These two terms, EIA and EIB, are