When you’re one point away from victory at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, the last thing you want is to sneeze and miss the ball. Keeping allergies under control is one way to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality.
How Common are Allergies?
It’s estimated that more than 80 million people in the United States have allergies. Allergies vary by person and can be minor enough to only cause the occasional sneeze or severe enough to cause bad hives, itchy and watery eyes, congestion, sneezing, wheezing or coughing, stomach issues or difficulty breathing.
What Types of Allergens Are Athletes Likely To Encounter?
Pollen is the most likely culprit of an outdoor allergy. Georgia athletes may react to tree pollen in the spring, grass pollen in the summer and weed pollen in the fall.
Mold spores are another possible source of allergies. Mold thrives in damp areas. You might find it in soil, plants, storm drains and leaky rain gutters. It’s especially common after heavy rain or flooding.
How Can Athletes Control Allergies?
You don’t have to let allergies stop you from winning matches or having fun over a game of catch in the park with your friends. There are a few standard options to minimize symptoms:
- Allergy medication. Allergy medication provides short-term relief to symptoms. Over-the-counter options include antihistamines, corticosteroids, decongestants, nasal sprays, eye drops and mast cell inhibitors. Patients with only mild symptoms may find enough relief from daily medication.
- Allergy immunotherapy. Allergy immunotherapy is a long-term treatment option (3-5 years) to desensitize your system to the allergens you react to. It’s available through shots or tablets. You can choose allergy shots to treat pet, mold, dust mite and stinging insect allergies. Slit allergy tablets are a less invasive option but are only FDA-approved to treat allergies to ragweed, certain types of grass and house dust mites.
In addition to medical treatments, there are a few ways you can minimize your symptoms through avoidance:
- Head indoors. While not ideal, playing sports at indoor tennis courts, pools or basketball courts will minimize your allergies.
- Wear goggles. Goggles might not be the coolest look for the court but they will help cut down on eye allergies.
- Shower and change clothes. You probably already shower after a match, but if you don’t, you should start. Not only does it wash away sweat, but showering and changing clothes rid your person of allergens.
Following a few of these strategies can prevent allergy symptoms from disrupting your next game. To learn more about allergy management, contact ENT of Georgia North today.
