Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesCircadian RhythmHydrationStressAllergiesBugsInflammatory Skin DiseasesHormonal ChangesMedical ConditionsOther Risk FactorsHome RemediesWhen to See a ProviderMedical TreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Circadian Rhythm
Hydration
Stress
Allergies
Bugs
Inflammatory Skin Diseases
Hormonal Changes
Medical Conditions
Other Risk Factors
Home Remedies
When to See a Provider
Medical Treatment
Prevention
Unexplained itching all over your body at night is a common problem and can often be managed with home remedies or over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Itchy skin at night is also callednocturnal pruritus.
This article will address the most common causes of itchy skin at night, home remedies and medical treatments, and how to prevent it.
What Causes Itchy Skin at Night?
Several key parts of your 24-hoursleep-wake cycle(circadian rhythm) can cause changes to your skin at night.Sometimes, it causes itchy skin with no rash.
Changes in body temperature, humidity or skin moisture, and hormone fluctuations can all contribute to nighttime itching.
Body Temperature and Blood Flow
At night, your body temperature goes down thanks to a gland in your brain that regulates it, called thehypothalamus. The gland cues your body to go through a natural cooling phase during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM)stage of sleep, right when you start dozing off. When your skin releases heat in this phase, it can increase itchy sensations.
Hormone Levels
Inflammation-neutralizing hormones likecortisolfollow your body’s circadian rhythm. When the concentration of cortisol is lowest during the evening and at midnight, your body has less help reducing inflammation. With this, you’re less likely to fight off itchy sensations.
Cytokines
Cytokines are proteins that play a role in your immune system. Certain cytokines may stimulate the sensory neurons that initiate the itching sensation in your body. Research has found that people with the itchy skin condition atopic dermatitis may have an increase in the expression of these cytokines in their skin.
Your skin passively loses moisture during the night. If an existing skin condition likeatopic dermatitisaffects the health of the outermost layer of your skin (stratum corneum), it can lead to itchiness.
Your brain responds to both stress and itching.When one increases, it’s likely the other will, too.
This cycle can affect people with mild cases of stress to those with diagnosed anxiety. Both stress and itching can start the cycle and keep it going.
During the day, you’re under what’s called higher cortical executive control, meaning your brain is working hard to deal with the minute-to-minute decisions of life.
When you have fewer distractions in the evening, you’re more likely to notice itching that may have been an annoyance that didn’t even register with you during the day.
Everybody reacts differently to medications. Sometimes, instead of seeing a new drug as helpful, the body sees it as an invader and mounts an immune defense to it. An allergic reaction to a medication can lead to skin symptoms like blisters, rashes, or hives.
If you’ve recently started taking a new medication and notice nighttime itchiness, look at the label to see if it’s listed as a side effect—especially if you take the drug around bedtime.
You should also let your healthcare provider know if you think a medication is causing itching, especially if it’s affecting your sleep.
Bug infestations are among the more concerning causes of nighttime itching, but an important one to rule out.
If you feel itchy all over at night, it could be a symptom of several common dermatological disorders.
Atopic Dermatits
Psoriasis
Psoriasisis a chronic inflammatory autoimmune skin disorder that can cause flaky patches of skin, including onthe scalp.Thermo-dysregulationis another aspect of psoriasis. This problem can make the skin warm when it should be naturally cooling off, especially during the first few hours of sleep. The combination is a perfect storm for nighttime itching and discomfort.
Lichen Planus
Lichen planusis an immune-mediated disease that most often affects the inside of the mouth but can also affect the nails and scalp. When the skin is involved, you can get a rash of flat-topped, purple itchy areas.
Hormonal changes can cause dry, itchy skin. During menopause, your sebaceous glands produce less oil, which can increase skin dehydration and cause your skin to become dry and itchy. Changes to the skin’s microbiome that happen during menopause can also lead to itchy skin.
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A few other circumstances can put you at risk for having itchy skin.
Age
There are some natural parts of getting older that contribute to itchy skin at night, especially in people over the age of 65.Age-related factors that can make itching at night more likely include:
Lifestyle
Sometimes itchy skin has to do with certain lifestyle factors, like where you live and your hygiene habits. For example:
Some at-home remedies and treatments for nighttime itching can ease discomfort and help you sleep.
Hydrate Your Skin
Using acream or petroleum-based moisturizer(that’s fragrance and alcohol-free) to keep your skin hydrated.
Use Heat and Cold
Applying cool compresses where your skin itches can help relieve the discomfort. Take a lukewarm bath before bed to relax your body and mind. Addingoatmealto your bathwater can also make it more soothing.
Supplements
There are a few supplements that alternative medicine practitioners might recommend to help with sleep and nighttime itching.
Manage Stress
Gentle yoga or breathingmeditationscan help reduce stress and make you feel sleepy. Doing things that calm you down can also help you cope with frustrating itching.
When to See a Healthcare ProviderIf you’ve been trying home remedies for nighttime itching and they haven’t helped after two weeks, or if you also have other symptoms such as weight loss, fever, or fatigue, talk to your healthcare provider.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you’ve been trying home remedies for nighttime itching and they haven’t helped after two weeks, or if you also have other symptoms such as weight loss, fever, or fatigue, talk to your healthcare provider.
You should also see a healthcare provider if the itching feels unbearable or is persistent enough to keep you awake at night, or if your symptoms resolve but then come back.
Treatment for itching will depend on what is causing it. Since this symptom can have widely varying causes, not all of these remedies will work for every case of itching.
Some of the treatments that your healthcare provider might recommend include:
Antihistamines
Low Doses of Antidepressants
Mirtazapine and doxepin both have an anti-itch and sedative effect. These medications are often used as the first-line treatment for nighttime itching because they cover a wide range of underlying causes.
Topical Steroids
Excessive scratching—no matter the cause—can lead to worse skin irritation or even leathery patches of skin calledlichen simplex chronicus.
It’s important to avoid scratching as much as you can and take steps to reduce nighttime itching.
Here are a few simple lifestyle adjustments you can make to decrease itchiness and increase your quality of sleep:
Summary
Nighttime itching is a common, frustrating problem. There are many causes ofnocturnal pruritus: the body’s natural sleep cycles, dermatological skin conditions like eczema, or more serious health conditions like polycythemia vera.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to try to cope with nighttime itching at home, like taking sleep-supporting herbs and using topical steroid creams.
However, if you try these treatments and they’re not helping after a couple of weeks, or if you have other concerning symptoms besides itching at night, talk to your provider. They can figure out why you’re having nighttime itching and make sure you get the right treatment.
20 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Podder I, Mondal H, Kroumpouzos G.Nocturnal pruritus and sleep disturbance associated with dermatologic disorders in adult patients.Int J Womens Dermatol. 2021;7(4):403-410. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.010Trier AM, Kim BS.Cytokine modulation of atopic itch.Curr Opin Immunol. 2018;54:7-12. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2018.05.005Lavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Medications and drug allergic reactions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Body lice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pinworm infection.Silverberg JI, Garg NK, Paller AS, Fishbein AB, Zee PC.Sleep disturbances in adults with eczema are associated with impaired overall health: a US population-based study.J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(1):56-66. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.325National Eczema Society.Menopause and eczema.National Health Service.Itching and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 reasons your skin itches uncontrollably and how to get relief.Lelonek E, Matusiak Ł, Wróbel T, Szepietowski JC.Aquagenic pruritus in polycythemia vera: Clinical characteristics.Acta Derm Venereol. 2018;98(5):496-500. doi:10.2340/00015555-2906Lee HG, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Psychiatric disorders and pruritus.Clin Dermatol. 2017;35(3):273-280. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2017.01.008.Tuna S, Alan S, Samancı N, Karakaş AA.Is there an association between restless legs syndrome and urticaria?J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(5):790-4. doi:10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.790Simonsen E, Komenda P, Lerner B, et al.Treatment of uremic pruritus: A systematic review.Am J Kidney Dis. 2017;70(5):638-655. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.05.018Langedijk JAGM, Beuers UH, Oude Elferink RPJ.Cholestasis-associated pruritus and its pruritogens.Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:639674. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.639674Valdes-Rodriguez R, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Chronic pruritus in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.Drugs Aging. 2015;32(3):201-215. doi:10.1007/s40266-015-0246-0Yosipovitch G, Rosen JD, Hashimoto T.Itch: From mechanism to (novel) therapeutic approaches.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;142(5):1375-1390. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2018.09.005Nowak DA, Yeung J.Diagnosis and treatment of pruritus.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(12):918-924.Erratum in: Can Fam Physician. 2018;64(2):92Wang W, Wang Y, Guo Q, et al.Valerian essential oil for treating insomniaviathe serotonergic synapse pathway.Front Nutr. 2022;9:927434. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.927434Heimall J, Spergel JM.New pathways for itching in patients with atopic dermatitis?J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(2):393-394. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.004Additional ReadingLavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Podder I, Mondal H, Kroumpouzos G.Nocturnal pruritus and sleep disturbance associated with dermatologic disorders in adult patients.Int J Womens Dermatol. 2021;7(4):403-410. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.010Trier AM, Kim BS.Cytokine modulation of atopic itch.Curr Opin Immunol. 2018;54:7-12. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2018.05.005Lavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Medications and drug allergic reactions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Body lice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pinworm infection.Silverberg JI, Garg NK, Paller AS, Fishbein AB, Zee PC.Sleep disturbances in adults with eczema are associated with impaired overall health: a US population-based study.J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(1):56-66. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.325National Eczema Society.Menopause and eczema.National Health Service.Itching and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 reasons your skin itches uncontrollably and how to get relief.Lelonek E, Matusiak Ł, Wróbel T, Szepietowski JC.Aquagenic pruritus in polycythemia vera: Clinical characteristics.Acta Derm Venereol. 2018;98(5):496-500. doi:10.2340/00015555-2906Lee HG, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Psychiatric disorders and pruritus.Clin Dermatol. 2017;35(3):273-280. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2017.01.008.Tuna S, Alan S, Samancı N, Karakaş AA.Is there an association between restless legs syndrome and urticaria?J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(5):790-4. doi:10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.790Simonsen E, Komenda P, Lerner B, et al.Treatment of uremic pruritus: A systematic review.Am J Kidney Dis. 2017;70(5):638-655. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.05.018Langedijk JAGM, Beuers UH, Oude Elferink RPJ.Cholestasis-associated pruritus and its pruritogens.Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:639674. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.639674Valdes-Rodriguez R, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Chronic pruritus in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.Drugs Aging. 2015;32(3):201-215. doi:10.1007/s40266-015-0246-0Yosipovitch G, Rosen JD, Hashimoto T.Itch: From mechanism to (novel) therapeutic approaches.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;142(5):1375-1390. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2018.09.005Nowak DA, Yeung J.Diagnosis and treatment of pruritus.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(12):918-924.Erratum in: Can Fam Physician. 2018;64(2):92Wang W, Wang Y, Guo Q, et al.Valerian essential oil for treating insomniaviathe serotonergic synapse pathway.Front Nutr. 2022;9:927434. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.927434Heimall J, Spergel JM.New pathways for itching in patients with atopic dermatitis?J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(2):393-394. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.004Additional ReadingLavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Podder I, Mondal H, Kroumpouzos G.Nocturnal pruritus and sleep disturbance associated with dermatologic disorders in adult patients.Int J Womens Dermatol. 2021;7(4):403-410. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.010Trier AM, Kim BS.Cytokine modulation of atopic itch.Curr Opin Immunol. 2018;54:7-12. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2018.05.005Lavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Medications and drug allergic reactions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Body lice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pinworm infection.Silverberg JI, Garg NK, Paller AS, Fishbein AB, Zee PC.Sleep disturbances in adults with eczema are associated with impaired overall health: a US population-based study.J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(1):56-66. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.325National Eczema Society.Menopause and eczema.National Health Service.Itching and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 reasons your skin itches uncontrollably and how to get relief.Lelonek E, Matusiak Ł, Wróbel T, Szepietowski JC.Aquagenic pruritus in polycythemia vera: Clinical characteristics.Acta Derm Venereol. 2018;98(5):496-500. doi:10.2340/00015555-2906Lee HG, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Psychiatric disorders and pruritus.Clin Dermatol. 2017;35(3):273-280. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2017.01.008.Tuna S, Alan S, Samancı N, Karakaş AA.Is there an association between restless legs syndrome and urticaria?J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(5):790-4. doi:10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.790Simonsen E, Komenda P, Lerner B, et al.Treatment of uremic pruritus: A systematic review.Am J Kidney Dis. 2017;70(5):638-655. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.05.018Langedijk JAGM, Beuers UH, Oude Elferink RPJ.Cholestasis-associated pruritus and its pruritogens.Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:639674. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.639674Valdes-Rodriguez R, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Chronic pruritus in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.Drugs Aging. 2015;32(3):201-215. doi:10.1007/s40266-015-0246-0Yosipovitch G, Rosen JD, Hashimoto T.Itch: From mechanism to (novel) therapeutic approaches.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;142(5):1375-1390. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2018.09.005Nowak DA, Yeung J.Diagnosis and treatment of pruritus.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(12):918-924.Erratum in: Can Fam Physician. 2018;64(2):92Wang W, Wang Y, Guo Q, et al.Valerian essential oil for treating insomniaviathe serotonergic synapse pathway.Front Nutr. 2022;9:927434. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.927434Heimall J, Spergel JM.New pathways for itching in patients with atopic dermatitis?J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(2):393-394. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.004
Podder I, Mondal H, Kroumpouzos G.Nocturnal pruritus and sleep disturbance associated with dermatologic disorders in adult patients.Int J Womens Dermatol. 2021;7(4):403-410. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.010
Trier AM, Kim BS.Cytokine modulation of atopic itch.Curr Opin Immunol. 2018;54:7-12. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2018.05.005
Lavery MJ, Stull C, Kinney MO, Yosipovitch G.Nocturnal pruritus: the battle for a peaceful night’s sleep.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(3):425. doi:10.3390/ijms17030425
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Medications and drug allergic reactions.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Body lice.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pinworm infection.
Silverberg JI, Garg NK, Paller AS, Fishbein AB, Zee PC.Sleep disturbances in adults with eczema are associated with impaired overall health: a US population-based study.J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(1):56-66. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.325
National Eczema Society.Menopause and eczema.
National Health Service.Itching and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.10 reasons your skin itches uncontrollably and how to get relief.
Lelonek E, Matusiak Ł, Wróbel T, Szepietowski JC.Aquagenic pruritus in polycythemia vera: Clinical characteristics.Acta Derm Venereol. 2018;98(5):496-500. doi:10.2340/00015555-2906
Lee HG, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Psychiatric disorders and pruritus.Clin Dermatol. 2017;35(3):273-280. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2017.01.008.
Tuna S, Alan S, Samancı N, Karakaş AA.Is there an association between restless legs syndrome and urticaria?J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(5):790-4. doi:10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.790
Simonsen E, Komenda P, Lerner B, et al.Treatment of uremic pruritus: A systematic review.Am J Kidney Dis. 2017;70(5):638-655. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.05.018
Langedijk JAGM, Beuers UH, Oude Elferink RPJ.Cholestasis-associated pruritus and its pruritogens.Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:639674. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.639674
Valdes-Rodriguez R, Stull C, Yosipovitch G.Chronic pruritus in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.Drugs Aging. 2015;32(3):201-215. doi:10.1007/s40266-015-0246-0
Yosipovitch G, Rosen JD, Hashimoto T.Itch: From mechanism to (novel) therapeutic approaches.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;142(5):1375-1390. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2018.09.005
Nowak DA, Yeung J.Diagnosis and treatment of pruritus.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(12):918-924.Erratum in: Can Fam Physician. 2018;64(2):92
Wang W, Wang Y, Guo Q, et al.Valerian essential oil for treating insomniaviathe serotonergic synapse pathway.Front Nutr. 2022;9:927434. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.927434
Heimall J, Spergel JM.New pathways for itching in patients with atopic dermatitis?J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;140(2):393-394. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.004
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