Why does running sometimes make the mouth, throat, and nose feel uncomfortable?
When exercising, we inhale air through our nose and mouth. The capillaries in the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx, throat) expand to bring more blood to warm and humidify the inhaled air. The "treated" air enters the deep lungs for gas exchange, expelling metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide out of the body.
This is a complete process from inhalation to exhalation.
Breathing is not just "inhale + exhale". In this process, the respiratory tract is not only responsible for the humidification and heating of the gas, but also the interaction between the internal organs of the body and the outside world. The human body’s respiratory organs are extremely sensitive. Once breathing is unreasonable or the external environment changes suddenly, such as the body’s inability to adapt to the current exercise intensity, poor air quality, inefficient or even wrong breathing methods, and lack of water in the body, it will make us feel uncomfortable. .
In the early winter, the outdoor air is cold and dry, and the exchange of heat and moisture during breathing will cause a strong burning sensation in the throat. When the exercise intensity increases, or the cold air is directly inhaled, the cold air enters the lungs, which will also bring a very obvious burning sensation. In this case, oral water is easily lost quickly, the rate of saliva secretion cannot keep up with the rate of consumption, and the throat will feel dry and itchy. In addition, the air quality in autumn and winter is often worse, with higher levels of particulate matter in the air. Wide open breathing means that the respiratory system "faces" the stimulation of dust, particles and other foreign objects, and the discomfort will be more intense.
There is a more common situation where the exercise intensity is increased before the body has fully adapted. This will make you want to breathe involuntarily, the blood circulation in the body will be accelerated, the blood in the capillaries of the respiratory system will also be pressurized, congestion and even a small amount of bleeding will occur. Many people feel the smell of blood when running, or there are bloodshot eyes in their saliva after running. This is the reason.
How to deal with the discomfort in running?
First, avoid going out for a run when the air quality is poor.
The "air quality" here refers to both the air pollution index and individual allergens. This is a problem that many people overlook. Most people have their own allergens, such as pollen. When exposed to allergens, the body's immune system releases a large amount of inflammatory substances, causing capillaries to dilate and allergic reactions occur. Therefore, in an environment prone to allergens, try to reduce running outside and use indoor treadmills or other cross exercises instead.
Second, make sure that you are in a healthy state when you go out for a run.
This state of health refers to the absence of symptoms such as colds. Most of the time the sign of a cold is upper respiratory tract discomfort. The symptoms may be mild, but going out for a run will only aggravate the symptoms. For the respiratory system, it is an overloaded and pathological operation.
Preparations before running-to
ensure adequate body water is a necessary prerequisite for all sports. If you encounter a particularly dry environment, you can drink small amounts of water several times, hold it in your mouth for a while, and then swallow it. This can avoid the burden of excessive drinking on the body, but also relieve the dryness in the mouth.
Before officially entering the uniform speed running, warm up as much as possible so that the respiratory system slowly enters a higher-intensity work state. One criterion for a sufficient warm-up is that the heart rate reaches or approaches the lower limit of aerobic exercise heart rate. At this time, the body muscles heat up, blood flow accelerates, and internal organs and other inert organs are slowly mobilized.
Experienced runners may not deliberately do warm-up exercises every time, but jogging in the first 1 to 2 kilometers or 10 to 15 minutes as a warm-up, and then gradually increase the speed. If they are doing high-intensity training, they will slowly transition from breathing through the nose to breathing together with the nose and mouth, instead of speeding up and panting violently as soon as they start running.
Adjust the breathing rhythm-
here is a point to be clear, the correct breathing method is not the only one, the one that suits you is important. As the exercise intensity increases, co-breathing with the mouth and nose is inevitable. There is a theory that the intense breathing during exercise is not due to lack of oxygen in the lungs, but because of the increase in carbon dioxide, which needs to be exhausted through higher frequency breathing.
For joggers who focus on daily fitness or exercise their aerobic capacity, consciously and actively adjust the breathing rhythm to make it consistent with the running frequency, which will make the body feel comfortable.
The price of an accelerated breathing rhythm is a rapid increase in energy consumption of the respiratory muscles. Everyone takes a different breath each time. When jogging, three steps with one breath or three steps with one breath, and when the speed increases, it is more common to change to two steps with one breath or two steps with one breath. But if you want to run like an elite athlete, and occasionally try a faster breathing rhythm, instead of breathing according to your own habit, it will help you exercise your cardiorespiratory capacity and respiratory organ function.
Things you can do
after running-in addition to replenishing water after running, you can also take care of the oral cavity and respiratory organs a little more carefully, such as gargle with low-concentration salt and warm water, drip the salt into the nostrils for washing, and swallow the salt Warm water. This can not only moisturize our mouth and respiratory system, but also reduce the damage of allergens or cold bacteria to the body. Develop such habits, can also reduce the onset of rhinitis and other symptoms.
Just like drinking water before running, the mouth and throat will be more effectively moisturized by drinking a small amount of water repeatedly. Some juicy fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins are also very suitable for supplement after exercise.
Previous studies have shown that runners usually have worse oral health because they may consume more sugars, which come from sports drinks, energy gums, and snacks before and after exercise. Accompanied by exercise breathing, the oral environment is also drier, lacking enough saliva to protect teeth from corrosion, dental diseases and other oral problems are actually closer to athletes. So rinse your mouth or brush your teeth after exercise, which may also be helpful to the long-term oral health.
