How to stop seasonal allergies from affecting your outdoor workouts

• Antihistamines shouldn't affect your exercise performance or recovery.
• Make sure you choose the right type to avoid drowsiness and fatigue.
• For pollen allergy sufferers who like exercising outside, reduce exposure by wearing a mask.

Exercising outside can be hard if you suffer from seasonal allergies.

According to the CDC, 19.2 million people were diagnosed with hay fever in the past 12 months and an estimated 10-30% of Americans have hay fever.

Seasonal allergies can leave people struggling to see through watery eyes, sniffing, sneezing, and generally feeling lousy, all of which can make exercising harder.

However, you don't need to give up on outdoors workouts altogether if you can manage your flare-ups, Sanjeev Jain, MD, board certified allergist and immunologist at Columbia Allergy, told Insider.

"It is important to appropriately manage your allergy symptoms, especially if you have comorbid atopic conditions such as asthma and eczema, in order to help prevent a flare in these conditions," Jain said.

You can manage symptoms with an antihistamine in pill, eye drop, or nose spray form, Jain told Insider.

Antihistamines should help, not hinder

While there is some small-scale research linking antihistamines to reduced exercise benefits, Jain said there are also studies countering this claim.

"In general it is believed that antihistamines should not directly affect a person's workout performance and the benefits one should get from exercise," he said.

Jain recommends taking a non-sedating antihistamine if you are planning on performing any exercise or activities during the day.

"If you prefer a more localized approach to managing your allergy symptoms, you can use antihistamine eye drops like Zaditor or lubricating eye drops for eye symptoms, or use steroid nasal sprays like Flonase for nasal symptoms," Jain said.

For pollen allergy sufferers who like exercising outside, reduce exposure by wearing a mask and showering right after your workout to get rid of any pollen that landed on your skin and clothes.

First generation antihistamines can cause drowsiness

First generation antihistamines like Benadryl can cause drowsiness and fatigue and could make a person feel less energized in a workout, but second generation antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec) and loratadine (Claritin) are considered to be non-drowsy.

"Second-generation antihistamines are a great option for managing daily or intermittent seasonal allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itching, watery or itchy eyes, all of which are more likely to negatively affect a person's workout performance," Jain said.

Antihistamines shouldn't affect post-workout recovery either, he added.

The best strategy is reducing exposure

The most effective way to cope with and treat allergies is to reduce exposure to the known allergens, Jain said.

However, you can also minimize symptoms by using HEPA filters, hypoallergenic bedding and pillow covers, and keeping windows closed to reduce contact to pollen outside.

If you don't know what you're allergic to, you can be tested.

"Depending on the severity of your symptoms and your specific needs, you may be a candidate for subcutaneous (allergy shots), sublingual (SLIT) or Precision Immune Targeting (ultrasound-guided intralymphatic immunotherapy)," Jain said.

By introducing a controlled amount of allergens into the body and gradually increasing exposure over time, your body can be trained to no longer see the substances as a threat.