Can Athletes Benefit from Nasal Rinsing for better Airflow?

By Dr. Stephen Chandler, MD ENT
Nasal rinsing: it’s quick, easy, effective, and comes with countless benefits for people of all walks of life, including athletes. The practice clears sinuses, removing mucus and muck and all that icky stuff. Some of the many proven benefits include optimized airflow, reduced allergies, and decreased flu and cold symptoms.
Oh, and did we mention that it’s 100% natural? Here, we delve into the many benefits athletes can expect from nasal rinsing.
 

Increase Airflow to Enhance Performance
Clear breathing is important for optimal athletic performance. For many athletes, it takes very little swelling of the nasal passages for them to become restricted or even totally blocked, resulting in compromised performance. However, in most cases, it’s easy to restore efficient nasal breathing using a saline irrigation technique.
Nasal saline lavage has been used by top-level athletes across many sports, including football, rugby, swimming, tennis and many more. It works by cleansing the nasal passages using a saline solution. This process gently removes bacteria, allergens and mucus which are often the cause of congestion and nasal drainage. The use of isotonic salt solution has an additional beneficial effect of reducing swelling and inflammation, which can also restrict airflow.
What’s the main reason athletes don’t like to do saline nasal irritation? Despite the established benefits of nasal lavage, people are concerned about the choking and gagging associated with the use of many devices. Fortunately, ResQRinse makes the process of nasal irrigation faster, easier and more effective, without the fear of choking or gagging. The use of ReqQRinse results in clear, clean nasal passages that allow the maximum amount of airflow into your lungs and optimized performance. No drugs, no enzymes, just a natural salt solution. It’s no wonder that this simple process is quickly becoming an integral part of pre-performance routine.
 

Significantly Reduce Symptoms of Allergies
Athletes who have allergies such as hayfever are particularly vulnerable to reduced nasal airflow, and susceptible to more complicated “down-stream” inflammatory effects of post nasal drainage. While drugs such as antihistamines may reduce allergy symptoms, the impact on athletic performance are far more profound than on the activities of the average person. For most, an allergy is an irritation; for an athlete, allergic reactivity has a direct negative impact on their performance. Due to the increased amount of air required during exercise, the body is less able to perform with restricted or sub-optimal airflow dynamics. For this reason, it is vital to flush out nasal allergens to minimize their performance degrading effect.
ResQRinse helps to safely remove nasal debris and allergens, the mucus that is produced as a result, and reduce the inflammation they cause. If you are an athlete with air-borne allergy problems, then ResQRinse will likely become an essential part of your routine.
 
Avoid potential doping complications – 100% natural
Nasal irrigation uses an entirely natural saline solution. Many nasal sprays use steroids, which could possibly lead to positive blood or urine tests. Why risk it? With nasal irrigation there are no issues of impropriety; it works by dissolving natural salts and buffers in water and flushing out the nasal passages and sinuses – no drugs, and no steroids. When treating allergies and nasal conditions, as with any medical conditions, inappropriate or unauthorized medication use accusations add additional complexity for an athlete and great care must be taken when selecting a treatment. ResQRinse nasal saline lavage is safe and effective.
 

 
Why choose the ResQRinse?
Nasal irrigation with saline lavage has been around for hundreds of years. ResQRinse takes the process to the next level – making it far easier, quicker, more effective and without the choking associated with traditional netipots or nasal washes. You no longer have to orient your head at awkward angles, rely on gravity or be concerned about coughing or choking – ResQRinse lets you keep your head upright and uses your own breath pressure to control the flow of saline. ResQRinse offers the most comprehensive sinus irrigation possible, giving more noticeable and longer lasting relief –without the gag. Curious to learn how ResQRinse can help you? Contact us today.
 
 
 
About the Author: Dr. Stephen Chandler, MD ENT is the co-inventor of the ResQRinse® nasal irrigation system and serves as clinical advisor for SinOptim. He is Board Certified in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and graduated in 1997 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Doctorate in Medicine. In 2002, Dr. Chandler completed an extensive residency program in Morgantown, West Virginia at West Virginia University.
Sinus disease is a specialty of Dr. Chandler’s. He has completed over 20,000 sinus procedures since joining Montgomery Otolaryngology in 2002. Dr. Chandler is a pioneer in Sinus Balloon Dilation, an in office procedure that gives immediate relief with no downtime. Dr. Chandler has authored numerous publications.