Lasting Sinus Irritation after popping the AT

[SMUGator]

Does anyone else suffer lasting itchy/runny nose and sneezing after a ride where you pop the anaerobic threshold harder than usual? It's almost like hay fever for me. I experience it often early in the season as I try to climb harder and max out near the summit ( on longer climbs of a mile or more). If I stay mostly aerobic, I don't have the issue. If I go anaerobic for any significant length of time, it's like I have a bad cold/allergy flare up for a day or so. So I'm curous...

Is this common?
Why does it happen?
How do you treat it other than ride it out?

[Ray]

Does anyone else suffer lasting itchy/runny nose and sneezing after a ride where you pop the anaerobic threshold harder than usual? It's almost like hay fever for me. I experience it often early in the season as I try to climb harder and max out near the summit ( on longer climbs of a mile or more). If I stay mostly aerobic, I don't have the issue. If I go anaerobic for any significant length of time, it's like I have a bad cold/allergy flare up for a day or so. So I'm curous...

Is this common?
Why does it happen?
How do you treat it other than ride it out?
This is absolutely nothing but a guess, but early in the season is when many pollens are at their worst and going anaerobic is when you're seriously gulping air (filled with pollen). So you may just have allergies that are made worse by the forced intake of even more irritants than usual? I would think it would be a matter of degree between aerobic and anaerobic, though, rather than an either/or, on/off switch. So I could be completely wrong. This is from someone who's had sinus problems his entire life that can be triggered by anything or nothing.

-Ray

[SMUGator]

I thought about that one, as I do have a bit of a nasty battle with tree pollen in the spring. The bit that baffles me is that I can ride all day with no adverse effect, but if I push myself beyond a certain limit, it shows up. Next time I'm near enough to death to actually go to a doctor, I'll ask her about it.

[CJV]

Ah spring! Go to a local health food store and ask for a Netti Pot. Use it with warm saline water to irrigate your sinuses. I had a sinus infection that lasted for 4 months, even after two weeks of antibiotics; the Netti kept the reactions down until they went away. You can also use Goldenseal in the warm water to knock out a pernicious allergic reaction, but this choice will make your sinuses respond in a slightly painful way. I believe the Netti beats over-the-counter medications and even the more expensive prescribed ones. Good luck.

[zap]

Happens to me this time of year. At the end of some long rides, the lungs tighten up and deep breathing can become difficult. It becomes much more noticable after the ride but symptoms go away after 3 hours or so.

Sinus/Allergy tablet and plenty of water the night before the ride does wonders for me. Just don't tell the UCI :rolleyes:

Regular use of a sinus spray/netti pot works well. You might be allergic to other particulates, but the addition of say, tree pollen might overwelm your system and hence, you get this reaction. Sinus spray can help prevent your system from becoming overwhelmed.

[Too Tall]

Funny you should mention that. Yesterday I was cooling down and chatting with two riders and both suffered from Sinusitis. Matt Barkley ,on of the lads, said he reads that Professional cyclists and Auto Mechanics have the highest incidence of this afflication. We breath too much? Anywho, Matt and my pal both use Netti Pots to clean out their beaks and say it helps alot. Yikes, with the size of my schnozzzola our water bill would go sky high if I did that!

[SMUGator]

Thanks for the advice on the Netti pot. I'll give that a try next time I get into this mess. It only happens a handful of times each season, but it's annoying when it flares up.