Bicycle == Decongestant ?

June 9, 2008 7:12 PM

Why does riding my bicycle clear my stuffy nose?

I've had a cold for the past few days, and when I wake up at least one nostril is totally blocked, and no amount of blowing will unblock it. One side also remains blocked throughout the day, though sometimes the sides switch. However, after about two minutes of cycling (on my way to work, in the gross Beijing air, FWIW), both sides of my nose are unblocked. At this point, I can either breathe fine, or blow my nose (freeing prodigious amounts of gunk) and then breathe fine. I would really love to know why this happens, but can't think of any good reasons, and a cursory googling turns up nothing.

posted by benign to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

When allergy season was at its worst here in St. Louis, I was generally pretty snotty. Within five minutes of riding every day, I'd be honking to the side every mile or so. I've chalked it up to the massive increase in blood flow all over.
posted by notsnot at 7:24 PM on June 9, 2008

Could it be the angle of your head (and sinuses) while riding is perfect for the glob o' gunk to dislodge itself?
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:54 PM on June 9, 2008

It's probably the exercise itself, not bike riding per se. The increase in circulation most likely results in increased mucous production and flow, helping you clear your sinuses better. I always found that swimming helped when I had a stuffy nose.
posted by minus zero at 8:36 PM on June 9, 2008

Rigorous exercise raises adrenaline levels. Adrenaline is a natural decongestant. Your airways will accordingly open from your exercise.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:45 PM on June 9, 2008

get yourself a Neti Pot. That will clean all the gunk out that hides in your sinus cavities. If I lived in Beijing I'd be using one twice a day.
posted by any major dude at 9:09 PM on June 9, 2008

Blazecock's got it. Increase in heartrate and circulation also triggers your mucous membranes to produce flow rather than just swell up and block. I find that if I have a mild cold or allergies (NOT the flu mind) that going for an easy ride will often "force" my body to sort itself out. My theory goes that the gentle stress of moderate exercise is a great way to kind of give your system a bit of a "reboot"... almost a bit of a "quit feeling sorry for yourself we got work to do" kind of thing.

Drinking adequate amounts of water will help unblock you as well. Dry mucous membranes are a fairly common symptom of not hydrating properly.
posted by lonefrontranger at 9:11 PM on June 9, 2008

I get the same effect, in the same congested circumstances, just from walking around. This surely doesn't count as "moderate exercise" for someone, like me, who's not unreasonably out of shape...or does it?
posted by Beardman at 9:49 PM on June 9, 2008

Blazecock Pileon has your answer. I've had allergic rhinitis for years, often making it impossible to breath through my nose. I've noticed that stumbling or falling causes that adrenaline shock due to fear and my sinuses instantly clear. Mild or moderate exercise isn't enough for me though.
posted by chairface at 10:40 PM on June 9, 2008

Here's an article (that I've linked before) about how to naturally unblock your nose by holding your breath, I suspect that this may be the same kind of effect.
posted by tomcooke at 1:09 AM on June 10, 2008

Thanks everyone. I think it's probably a combination of adrenaline and an increase in blood flow. I don't bike particularly hard, but definitely enough for a big increase in blood flow (especially in the morning) and I think the adrenaline comes from the chaotic nature of the traffic, which is normally full of little surprises, and sometimes terrifying.

I wish I had known about this effect ten years ago!
posted by benign at 6:03 AM on June 11, 2008

In my experience, just having the air moving across my face makes a difference. I've noticed the same thing when riding in the car and when running the fan next to my bed.
posted by Bruce H. at 5:45 PM on June 11, 2008