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Do you have extremely itchy skin all over? Did you know that thyroid problems could be the cause of your itching? Find out other reasons for itchy skin at night all over the body.
- Reasons for Itchy Skin All over?
- Why Am I Itchy All over?
- What Causes Skin to Itch All over?
Scratching where you itch is inevitable, but when you have to scratch all over the body and frequently too or mostly at night, you probably have a serious problem and you should consult your doctor as soon as possible. On the other hand, it could be that your skin is just a little dry and all it needs is a little bit of moisturizing and massaging to make the blood circulate better. You could use various home remedies on your itchy skin too with huge success. However, do not attempt to make any of those without knowing the genesis of your itch.
What causes extremely itchy skin all over body and at night is the essence of this article. Discover whether thyroid problems among other reasons are the cause for all over body itchiness.
Itchy Skin All over Body, Types and Treatment
When you notice that you have itchiness all over your body, the first thing you ought to do is find out if you have any other symptoms. It is normal to have itchy skin, which completely changes your skin texture. In this case, you would itch and a bump, rash, patch or blotch is left on the spot. You need to analyze the nature of such a rash and observe it for sometime. You will need to know how it behaves so that you can tell your doctor.
On the other hand, itchy skin all over body may just leave your skin normal. That means there is no sign that you are itching except for the frequent urge to graze your skin using your fingernails. However, as much it may be pleasurable to dig into your skin with your fingernails, you could end up doing more harm than good to your skin.
This is because you could break the skin and hence give leeway for bacteria to enter your skin if you scratch using fingernails. Therefore, it is wise to use just your fingertips, if you itch at night, cut your fingernails or wear gloves to avoid breaking your skin as you sleep.
In the event that you break your skin, you would have two skin conditions to deal with, the cause of your itching and a bacterial infection as well. If you have an itchy skin rash all over your body, you can find its causes in that guide. Itchiness in most circumstances leave behind red rashes. However, in a few cases, they may not change the texture of your skin at all.
Both the rash and no rash kinds of itchy skin all over body could be caused by various factors such as:
- Dry skin especially in winter and for some in summer
- Dehydration, not drinking plenty of water may cause your body to become too acidic and hence the reaction will show by your skin itching
- Allergies from food items and soaps, detergents or lotions, even jewelry may react on to cause itchy skin.
- Systematic conditions- other diseases not necessarily related to your skin but inside your body. Such include types of cancer, liver and kidney problems among others.
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause
Regardless of the cause of your itchy skin with or without a rash, you can find proper treatment if you consult with a doctor first. This way, any serious conditions may be ruled out and if discovered treated early to avoid complications. Similarly, you may find an effective prescription medication to deal with the itchiness completely. Sometimes a proper treatment involves just a change of eating habits or changing your skin care products, bathing soaps and detergents used to wash your cloths. You may also have to wear clothing made from certain fabrics.
Causes of Itchy Skin All over – Allergies, Deficiencies and Yeast Overgrowth
Rarely will a skin infection cause you to itch all over. However, when you have an allergy or a deficiency in a certain nutrient or mineral, you will itch from head to toe. This has to do with the fact that the foods you eat get to your blood streams, which is pumped all over the body. The same case applies when you are deficient in a certain nutrient or mineral that plays a great role in the proper function of the body.
The main allergy causes of itchy skin all over include:
- Food allergies from foods containing aspartame, an ingredient found in chewing gum and concentrated milk that can also lead to respiratory diseases such as asthma, genetically modified foods (GMOs), artificial sweeteners such as fructose, too much iodine and wheat allergies in those suffering from Celiac disease.
- Drugs allergies such as antibiotics, painkillers and narcotics
- Latex allergies
- Chemical allergies from fragranced soaps, detergents, softeners and gardening supplies
- Vitamin B complex Deficiency, on the other hand an overdose of Vitamin B12 may be a cause of itchy skin all over
- Yeast overgrowth, also known as a leaky gut, where you have yeast overgrowing in the colon, this shows by itchy skin or nail fungus.
Other causes include stress and anxiety. If you have itchy skin due to these two, relaxing exercises or antidepressants prescribed by your doctor may help.
Extremely Itchy Skin All over – Diseases Causing Severe Itchiness
When you have severe itchy skin all over, you should take it seriously and book an appointment with your doctor. This is because, the cause could be something bigger than an allergy, yeast overgrowth or vitamins or minerals deficiencies. You could be harboring a chronic disease in your body that needs to be treated immediately.
The common diseases that cause you to have extremely itchy skin all over include:
- Lyme’s disease
- Anaphylaxis, which causes all over itching and swelling on the tongue, lips, mouth and face. Anaphylaxis is life threatening.
- Diabetes
- Polycythermia
- Cholestasis in pregnant women
- Thyroid problems
- Kidney failure
- Hodgkins lymphoma a cancer of the lymphatic system
- Fungal infections
It is only a doctor who can correctly diagnose these causes of itchiness. Therefore, consult one if you cannot go an hour without being itchy all over.
Itchy Skin All over at Night
Itchy skin may also show up when you are trying to get some sleep. Sometimes it is usually there during the day, only to intensify during the night. Such itchiness can leave you sleepless. Since you need to sleep better in order to carryout your daily activities with a clear mind, you ought to know what could be ailing your skin and eliminate it as soon as possible.
Bugs are the major cause of itchy skin all over at night. They could be bed bugs, mosquitoes or ticks especially if you share your bed with your pets. Bugs will leave a bump mostly and make you get a crawling sensation on your skin especially if body lice is the culprit. You can clean your bedding, check for any bugs thoroughly, and see if the itchiness goes away.
On the other hand, if you take hot showers and baths before going to bed, you are doing injustice to your skin. Hot water may make you relax, but it ends up stripping your skin off its natural oils. Therefore, if you must shower or bath before bed, use cold water if you can stand it or lukewarm water.
Other causes of itchy skin all over especially at night could be:
- Scabies- normally it intensifies at night
- Menopause for women in their 40s-60s, it could be earlier in those who smoke
- Dehydration, not taking enough water during the day especially if you are fond of coffee
- Worms and other parasites in the body, you should de-worm yourself after every six months.
- Lymphoma – a cancer that causes your lymph nodes to swell and your skin to itch in the night
- Liver disease
- Or simply you could have hypothyroidism, a condition that makes thyroid glands to be underactive. For more on itchy skin at or only at night causes, that link should give you all the information.
Thyroid Itchy Skin All over
People, who suffer from thyroid problems, according to about.com, in particular hypothyroidism where the thyroid glands are underactive, may suffer from dry and coarse itching skin. If you are already aware of your thyroid condition, you must have also experienced itchiness. This normally goes away when you take enough thyroxin.
However, when the thyroxin is not enough, you will continue to suffer from thyroid itchy skin all over. Another thyroid complication is found in people with Grave’s Disease. If left unchecked, hypothyroidism could bring about thyroid cancer.
The good thing about thyroid itchy skin all over is accompanied by other symptoms such as swollen glands at the back of your neck, under your armpits or on your thighs. Check for swollen glands if you have itchiness all over and report to your doctor for proper treatment because even the best itchy skin relief cream, bath or medication cannot take care of this kind of itchiness.
