Is there a cure for summertime itching?
July 26, 2015 11:36 AM Subscribe
It's a summer thing. The instant I get into bed, turn out the light, and descend into sleep, I feel like something's crawling on the hair of my arms, my legs, and my head. I turn on the light and there's nothing there.
Usually it's not something I need to scratch. If I just tamp on it, it goes away.
Sometimes, though, it does itch. The other night I woke up having apparently scratched so hard my arm was bleeding.
I have an 8-year-old Tempurpedic bed. It retains heat at night and is uncomfortable. I vacuum it and everything else in the house on a regular basis.
Here's what I can't account for. It's happened in two different homes.
I shower before I go to bed.
I've tried Benadryl, to no avail.
I saw an allergist last week. I'm not allergic to anything he can find. Upon his suggestion, I changed shampoo, soap, and laundry detergent to fragrance free. That doesn't work.
Another thing. I'm very active. I run ultramarathons, so I sweat a lot. I use sunscreen and I use a moisturizer my allergist recommended. That doesn't help.
I asked the allergist and my doctor if it could somehow be mental, as in psychosomatic, as it only happens when I'm relaxed and about to fall asleep (I fall asleep quickly and then wake up shortly afterwards, with either itches or crawly feelings on the arms, legs, and heads). They don't have an answer for that.
I've read other AskMeFi posts on the subject. I've had my prior and current place tested for mold. There is none.
The only stable factors here are that it happens in the summertime and it happens at night. In the fall, winter, and spring, I sleep like a bear.
Does anyone have any thoughts? It's a problem because it disrupts sleep on an almost nightly basis.
Thank you.
Sometimes, though, it does itch. The other night I woke up having apparently scratched so hard my arm was bleeding.
I have an 8-year-old Tempurpedic bed. It retains heat at night and is uncomfortable. I vacuum it and everything else in the house on a regular basis.
Here's what I can't account for. It's happened in two different homes.
I shower before I go to bed.
I've tried Benadryl, to no avail.
I saw an allergist last week. I'm not allergic to anything he can find. Upon his suggestion, I changed shampoo, soap, and laundry detergent to fragrance free. That doesn't work.
Another thing. I'm very active. I run ultramarathons, so I sweat a lot. I use sunscreen and I use a moisturizer my allergist recommended. That doesn't help.
I asked the allergist and my doctor if it could somehow be mental, as in psychosomatic, as it only happens when I'm relaxed and about to fall asleep (I fall asleep quickly and then wake up shortly afterwards, with either itches or crawly feelings on the arms, legs, and heads). They don't have an answer for that.
I've read other AskMeFi posts on the subject. I've had my prior and current place tested for mold. There is none.
The only stable factors here are that it happens in the summertime and it happens at night. In the fall, winter, and spring, I sleep like a bear.
Does anyone have any thoughts? It's a problem because it disrupts sleep on an almost nightly basis.
Thank you.
I get this sometimes too and 100% of the time it's due to being too hot. The solution is to wear less and lower the air conditioning. Even if the rest of me feels ok the itchy parts of me (for me, my feet) just need it cooler or I'll never fall asleep.
posted by that's how you get ants at 12:05 PM on July 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by that's how you get ants at 12:05 PM on July 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
I get this sometimes as well, and I have decided to attribute it to the fact that when I shower in the summertime I scrub really really hard to get the gross sticky sweaty grimy feeling off my skin. this will of course not apply to you if you don't shower right before bed, though.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:09 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 12:09 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think that you have a mild allergy to something that you are only exposed to in the summertime. Allergy tests don't pick up everything. Try Zyrtec every day for a week and see what happens. If it only happened in the winter, I would suspect dry skin, so, another consideration, do you shower more than once a day in the summer? Are you swimming daily? If so, you may want to use a heavier moisturizer all over, every day.
posted by myselfasme at 12:28 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by myselfasme at 12:28 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
It could be psychosomatic, but more than likely it is because you are too hot.
What type of sheets do you sleep on? How much clothing do you wear to bed and is the material of those clothes both lightweight and breathable?
I recommend microfiber sheets and a lightweight comforter. Keep the room as cool as possible.
It retains heat at night and is uncomfortable.
...But I still think this is the central issue. Time for a new mattress, even if this isn't an issue during the winter.
posted by nightrecordings at 12:57 PM on July 26, 2015
What type of sheets do you sleep on? How much clothing do you wear to bed and is the material of those clothes both lightweight and breathable?
I recommend microfiber sheets and a lightweight comforter. Keep the room as cool as possible.
It retains heat at night and is uncomfortable.
...But I still think this is the central issue. Time for a new mattress, even if this isn't an issue during the winter.
posted by nightrecordings at 12:57 PM on July 26, 2015
Maybe it's a tiny seasonal critter living in your bed (which although you vacuum it, must be retaining some kind of bug-friendly humidity, if you're hot and maybe sweating when you sleep in it)? You could exclude anything bed-related by sleeping on the floor or an air mattress for a few nights.
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:00 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:00 PM on July 26, 2015
Oh, hello me-from-five-years-ago. This was me every heat wave, every summer. I also have a foam mattress but didn't, in the end, need to get rid of it. I got a wool mattress pad, I switched my night-time bath/shower to luke-warm at most. But what really solved it? I ponied up for an air conditioner in my bedroom. As long as I can cool the room to the mid-70s or less, I can sleep without being woken by itching, hives, and frustration.
posted by minervous at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by minervous at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I feel like something's crawling on the hair of my arms, my legs, and my head.
Also, the fact that your torso, which is presumably covered in some way while you sleep and/or most of the time, isn't itchy, suggests to me that it's related to something to which only your arms, legs and head are exposed. (That could be something unrelated to the bed that you're simply not noticing during the day because you're otherwise distracted and not uncomfortable bc of feeling overheated, as you are at night, but I think it's probably the bed or sheets or some combination thereof. Because you have moments during the day during which you're not 100% concentrated on other things.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:18 PM on July 26, 2015
Also, the fact that your torso, which is presumably covered in some way while you sleep and/or most of the time, isn't itchy, suggests to me that it's related to something to which only your arms, legs and head are exposed. (That could be something unrelated to the bed that you're simply not noticing during the day because you're otherwise distracted and not uncomfortable bc of feeling overheated, as you are at night, but I think it's probably the bed or sheets or some combination thereof. Because you have moments during the day during which you're not 100% concentrated on other things.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:18 PM on July 26, 2015
I feel this crawling sensation sometimes too and it's almost always a little drop of sweat. For some reason they feel different when you're half asleep and lying down than when you're up and about.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:19 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by Jacqueline at 1:19 PM on July 26, 2015
I get this too sometimes (but not as intensely as you). I'd second the suggestion to take lukewarm or cool showers rather than hot, if that's what you're doing now.
posted by skewed at 2:11 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by skewed at 2:11 PM on July 26, 2015
It's probably not related to your issue, but I get this feeling sometimes if a breeze or too-light sheet is disturbing my arm hairs. Are you sleeping with a fan directly on you maybe? Not being able to sleep is awful, so I hope you can find the solution.
posted by bluesky78987 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by bluesky78987 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2015
Since it is interfering with sleep and you've looked for the easy culprits already, I would perhaps see a neurologist. The itch sensation comes from nerves, after all. Worth a shot, if you have insurance.
posted by Stewriffic at 2:26 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Stewriffic at 2:26 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Benadryl is crap. Try Allegra and Cerave Cream (not lotion). If it continues talk to derm about getting steroidal cream.
posted by Toddles at 3:05 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by Toddles at 3:05 PM on July 26, 2015
Ohhhh this happened to me one summer when I stayed in a place that was super super hot and there was no air conditioner. I freaked out, thought I had some rare disease for a bit, and finally found out it was just a rash from the sweat and heat. The only way to get rid of it is to keep yourself from sweating at night.
How do you do that? I convinced my landlord to put in an air conditioner, and somehow he did. Problem went away overnight when it had persisted for a couple of weeks before (about when the temperatures soared).
Other things you can try are to get sheets that wick, and make sure you sleep in the lightest weight clothes/sheets/etc that you can.
It made me realized how spoiled I'd been to never experience that level of heat without some level of air conditioner at night.
posted by cacao at 3:21 PM on July 26, 2015
How do you do that? I convinced my landlord to put in an air conditioner, and somehow he did. Problem went away overnight when it had persisted for a couple of weeks before (about when the temperatures soared).
Other things you can try are to get sheets that wick, and make sure you sleep in the lightest weight clothes/sheets/etc that you can.
It made me realized how spoiled I'd been to never experience that level of heat without some level of air conditioner at night.
posted by cacao at 3:21 PM on July 26, 2015
Response by poster: This is all great, folks, thanks.
I just got a portable air conditioner, which I'm going to try out tonight. Yay!
I'm also going to take cold, not warm, not lukewarm, showers.
And tomorrow, as per one of the suggestions, I'm going to make an appointment to see a neurologist.
I'm convinced it has to do with heat. I don't have trouble with the bed in the other three seasons.
My allergist said last week if the itching didn't go away, he's do some injection tests, and not the 41 pricky tests he did.
It's the not being able to sleep that's vexing.
Thanks again for all your help. If I find something that works, I'll post it as a follow up.
posted by holdenjordahl at 3:45 PM on July 26, 2015
I just got a portable air conditioner, which I'm going to try out tonight. Yay!
I'm also going to take cold, not warm, not lukewarm, showers.
And tomorrow, as per one of the suggestions, I'm going to make an appointment to see a neurologist.
I'm convinced it has to do with heat. I don't have trouble with the bed in the other three seasons.
My allergist said last week if the itching didn't go away, he's do some injection tests, and not the 41 pricky tests he did.
It's the not being able to sleep that's vexing.
Thanks again for all your help. If I find something that works, I'll post it as a follow up.
posted by holdenjordahl at 3:45 PM on July 26, 2015
I had itching on my arms, legs and head and it turns out I'm allergic to wheat. I only learned this through random elimination diet trials.
I also thought it was just a summertime thing but when things are going on for a while it's hard to tell when and where it's coming from. Maybe talk to your allergist about elimination diets, though they might be initially resistant.
posted by sweetkid at 7:25 PM on July 26, 2015
I also thought it was just a summertime thing but when things are going on for a while it's hard to tell when and where it's coming from. Maybe talk to your allergist about elimination diets, though they might be initially resistant.
posted by sweetkid at 7:25 PM on July 26, 2015
I can't find my reading glasses and have taken my lenses out, and can't confirm if you're a woman, but me, as a woman---I used to get crazy itchy legs as part of PMS. I'd about want to itch my legs off until a sleeping pill kicked in a couple of times a month.
posted by discopolo at 12:43 AM on July 27, 2015
posted by discopolo at 12:43 AM on July 27, 2015
Two thoughts:
Histamine levels do rise at night, so it's worth trying a variety of antihistamines and keeping some in your system. Some of them can take quite a while to kick in.
Most itching from allergies or bug bites or whatever is from histamine. But there is also a "neuropathic itch" which is harder to treat. I've experienced that from medication side effects and remember trying everything. I got some relief from Solarcaine, the medicated aloe gel that's sold for after-sunburn care.
posted by mermaidcafe at 6:35 AM on July 27, 2015
Histamine levels do rise at night, so it's worth trying a variety of antihistamines and keeping some in your system. Some of them can take quite a while to kick in.
Most itching from allergies or bug bites or whatever is from histamine. But there is also a "neuropathic itch" which is harder to treat. I've experienced that from medication side effects and remember trying everything. I got some relief from Solarcaine, the medicated aloe gel that's sold for after-sunburn care.
posted by mermaidcafe at 6:35 AM on July 27, 2015
I can so relate! Mine was mostly an insanely itchy scalp, at the base as soon as I got in bed. I was convinced I had bedbugs or lice! Turns out I sweat a ton via my head (lovely). I put a fan in my bedroom and the itch has gone away. Might be psychosomatic, but it's worked like a charm!
posted by CanyonWren at 9:53 AM on July 27, 2015
posted by CanyonWren at 9:53 AM on July 27, 2015
Response by poster: To follow up, I placed a portable air conditioner that I bought yesterday next to my bed and blasted cold air all night.
Lo and behold, no itching!
I'm going to give it a few more nights to confirm that heat and not some neurological issue or pesky allergen was the culprit.
Thanks for the responses!
On a related note, I am of the opinion that sleep is the greatest thing. It prevents and cures all manner of woes. By the same token, lack of it is the worst. Hurray, for the moment at least, for a/c!
posted by holdenjordahl at 12:54 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Lo and behold, no itching!
I'm going to give it a few more nights to confirm that heat and not some neurological issue or pesky allergen was the culprit.
Thanks for the responses!
On a related note, I am of the opinion that sleep is the greatest thing. It prevents and cures all manner of woes. By the same token, lack of it is the worst. Hurray, for the moment at least, for a/c!
posted by holdenjordahl at 12:54 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
What kind of sheets do you use? I wonder if you're feeling little drops of sweat (or moisture from your shower). Maybe a wool pad to make your mattress more breathable, and linen sheets?
posted by acidic at 11:56 AM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]