How to Prevent Nipple Chafing - The Joys of Being a Runner

Nipple chafing is one of the most common running injuries, but also one of the most panic arousing experiences when you experience it for the first time. Most runners, especially the new runners do not know about the nipple chafing. When you, after running for a long time, see that your nipples are bleeding, you may think you have attracted a serious illness. But it is a very common experience that any runner can face. Moreover, nipple chafing can be easily prevented. Read this article to learn how to prevent nipple chafing. Learning about Nipple Chafing People usually learn about nipple chafing when it happens to them the first time. You may be running in the dark and feel that your nipples are starting to get sore. They start to sting. You may want to hold your shirt so that the contact with your nipples is limited. Then, when you get home you might see blood on your shirt and your body and find that your nipples are bleeding. That's when you panic, hit the internet and search for "bleeding nipples". Hopefully that settles you right down as you find out that it's chafing, not something more serious. Why do Nipples Chafe? This is a problem that usually happens to men only. Many women wear sport bras that help protect against nipple chafing. Nipple chafing simple happens because your shirt constantly rubs over your nipples when you run. When you run short distances, this is not an issue. Not much damage your shirt can do in a short time. But as you increase your mileage and start running longer and longer distances, you get to a point where the constant rubbing does affect your nipples. You'd be surprised at how unpleasant it can be and how much those little nipples can bleed! What Do You Do When Your Nipples Have Chafed? It is best to treat your bleeding nipples like a normal wound. So that means that you need to wash them with water and then clean them with an antiseptic, then cover with a sterile gauze pad. You will have to protect your nipples in the next few days when you go for a run as they do stay tender for a while. In addition to this the risk of them chafing again is bigger when they are not completely healed up yet. There is no reason why you shouldn't run with chafed nipples, but just make sure they are covered so that you don't chafe them any further and they get a chance to heal. Protection against Nipple Chafing #1: Use Bandaids You can put bandaids over your nipples before you go for your run. It can be an effective measure against nipple chafing. However, sometimes the bandaids does not really stick to your chest because of chest hair. The bandaid may also fall of after a while because of your sweat. So try to get those little round bandaids that only stick on your nipples and not on the chest hair area. That also relieves you from the issue of pulling the bandaids off your chest hair after your run. Protection against Nipple Chafing #2: Use Cream There is special cream available which protects nipples against chafing. You could use Vaseline. The cream puts a layer of protection on your nipples. The disadvantage is that the protective layer slowly rubs off and stops working after about 60 to 90 minutes (for most people). So, it is not a great solution for your long runs. Protection against Nipple Chafing #3: Use Nipguards One of the better ways of protecting your nipples must be Nipguards. They are small pads that you stick over your nipples and basically stay there "sucked" to your nipples. Some people use them and find that they do not stay on, but for most people these are an excellent solution. Nipple chafing is one of those "joys" of being a runner. It comes with the package and unless you have experienced it yourself, you may find yourself laughing at this article. If you have experienced it, this article should have given you a number of workable solutions to help you prevent nipple chafing in the future.