Health Network News

So is this a joke? Is there really a connection between running faster and having “clean nose”? I know it does sound like a joke but actually there is a very direct connection between Saline Nasal Spray and being able to run faster.

The connection between saline nasal spray and running better is actually a pretty direct one even though it may not seem so at first glance. Here’s the connection. I am a running instructor. I help to teach a running form called “Chi Running” which has been gaining in popularity. What we have discovered is that the alarmingly high running injury rate that is usually associated with running is almost completely eliminated with learning Chi Running.

Did you know that up to 60% of people who run regularly end up with some type of injury? We have a goal in Chi Running to help decrease those injuries. As we’ve studied these things we’ve discovered that how you breath can affect the things that contribute to your chance of getting an injury.

Admittedly the connection between breathing and injury is indirect but it is still very real. When you breath through your nose while you run you kind of set the equivalent of a governor on your system. You can only run so fast or push yourself so hard before you have to open up your mouth and start breathing harder. When you open up your mouth to start breathing harder you will tend to faster—-going faster when you are getting tired can increase your injury rate. Here’s another neat thing- when you run breathing through your nose your heart rate is slower! So you will slow down getting that sense of fatigue if you keep your heart rate slower.

So how is this all connected to Saline Nasal Solution?? Well lots of people have allergies and lots of people react to the junk that’s in the air which can make it much more difficult to breath through your nose. So even if you wanted to breath through your nose, you might not be able to without a little help. If you can use the saline nasal solution before you run and if you use the saline nasal spray while you’re running you will improve your odds that you will be able to breath through the nose.

So there you have it– there’s the connection between saline nasal solution and running faster (running without injury). The saline nasal solution and spray makes it easier for you to breath through your nose. If you breath through your nose you are much more likely to run at the pace that your fitness level is ready to do. So clearly if you can use a simple strategy to keep your nose fully open while your run, you can really have less injury because your’re running at your best pace.