Two major elements of exercise can effectively relieve nasal allergies

As the saying goes, "Medicine is not as good as food, and food is not as good as exercise." Exercise has many benefits. It can stimulate muscles, accelerate blood circulation, and enhance immunity. The positive effects are too numerous to mention. Taiwan has a hot and humid climate. Every time the seasons change, many people sneeze frequently, showing signs of nasal allergies. One of the benefits of exercise is that it can relieve nasal allergies.

(Map by Luo Deyu)

Two key factors affecting nasal allergies: adrenaline and autonomic nerves

The reason why exercise can relieve nasal allergies is that it can increase "adrenaline secretion" and reduce the chance of "autonomic nervous system disorders." Nasal allergies are caused by nasal congestion and swelling of the nasal mucosa, as well as increased secretion. If the blood vessels contract, the nasal mucosa will shrink and secretion will decrease, and the nose will naturally become unobstructed. Exercise will increase the secretion of adrenaline, causing vasoconstriction and pulse acceleration. The constriction effect of adrenaline on blood vessels in different parts of the body is not consistent, but the contraction of blood vessels in the skin and mucous membranes is the strongest. Therefore, it has a significant effect on relieving mucosal congestion, which naturally reduces the chance of allergies.

The second way to relieve the symptoms of nasal allergies is to reduce the chance of "autonomic nervous system disorders". Once the autonomic nervous system is out of balance, the parasympathetic nervous system will become overexcited, which can easily cause swelling of the nasal mucosa and symptoms of overreaction such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. From this we can see that the autonomic nervous system will directly affect the function of the nasal cavity. Whether it is mucosal secretion, vascular tension, microvascular permeability, and activation of inflammatory cells in the upper respiratory tract mucosa, they are all closely related to the autonomic nervous system.

Let’s learn abdominal breathing! Effectively prevent autonomic nervous system disorders

To keep the autonomic nervous system normal, the most well-known method is abdominal breathing. Breathing is one of the few autonomic nervous system rhythms that can be controlled by humans. However, normal breathing methods are short and shallow and have no effect. Therefore, it is recommended to practice abdominal breathing, which helps the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to function normally and avoid endocrine disorders that induce allergies. The method is very simple. First, relax your whole body, then focus your mind on your lungs, use your Dantian to "roar" loudly, and repeat this for 5 to 10 minutes. At the end, drink some boiled water and rest. The benefit of doing this, in addition to relieving nasal allergies, is to increase the oxygen capacity of the lungs and enhance breathing function, killing two birds with one stone.

(Map by Luo Deyu)

Just do some gentle exercise, avoid too intense exercise

In addition, walking regularly can also achieve similar effects. Basically, jogging or doing gentle exercises such as gymnastics, martial arts, yoga, aerobic dance, etc. indoors can enhance immunity and help improve allergies, but intense exercise is not recommended. Too much intensity will make your breathing rapid and shallow, and the function of the parasympathetic nervous system will decrease, leading to autonomic nervous system disorders and inducing nasal allergies.