COLD WEATHER CAUSING YOU TO CRY WHILE RUNNING?
The weather outside is frightful and the fire, as they say, is so delightful. Getting geared up – physically and mentally – to run in the dark, cold days of winter is enough to make even the most dedicated jogger shed a tear or two. But even those with hardened resolve to continue their regimen through the winter often find themselves crying as soon as they leave the warmth of the house and the cold air fills their eyes with tears.
This vision-blurring, cheek-streaking phenomenon is the eyes’ natural response to create some lubrication and even insulation against the cold, wind and dry air of winter.
Though we typically only think of “tears” as what roll down our cheek, the eyes actually produce tears constantly, which spread across the front of the eye each time we blink. Instead of appearing to cry all the time, eyes naturally drain tears through channels called lacrimal canaliculi that eventually deposit the tears in the upper reaches of the nose (which explains the runny nose that accompanies those romantic movie sob-fests).
In winter, the cold dry air is an irritant and the eyes’ natural response is to flood it out – just like you’d get all teary-eyed if dust or an eyelash fell into those baby blues – but the cold just keeps on coming.
In fact, many people experience itchy, watery eyes even indoors during the winter months as humidity-scrubbing furnaces create extremely dry air in houses and offices, and there’s no relief when the cold, dry air outside has the same effect, especially combined with an icy wind that literally peels the lubricating tears right off.
So what’s a die-hard winter runner – or an office-bound desk jockey stuck in the cubicle equivalent of the Sahara – to do? Well first off, remember to blink. Sure, that’s like remembering to breathe, but whether your gaze is fixed on the distant hill you’ve got to climb or the TPS report that simply refuses to write itself, people don’t blink as often as they normally would when focused on something, and it’s tough for the eyes’ tear distribution to find equilibrium.
Next, find some humidity. Aggressive eye watering is a full-on offensive against dry air, so if you can’t say sayonara to the great white north for some tropical destination, put a humidifier in the house or consider running indoors at a steamy gym (not without its own set of potential hazards).
Finally, when you’re channeling Prefontaine and feel the wind whipping through your hair, put on some shades. Sure it might be as gloomy as Eeyore outside, but sunglasses – especially those of the wraparound variety – will shield your eyes from the wind and keep the crying at bay.
Of course, like any eye health issue, persistently watering eyes could signal real issues, so check with one of our Maple Eye Doctors. Infections, blocked tear ducts and persistent irritants (like an eyelash growing the wrong way) can all cause extremely watery eyes that no amount of substituting ice cream consumption for pounding out the miles will cure.
