Can lack of sleep cause hives

Sleep Troubles With Chronic Hives

What is the effect of chronic hives on sleep?

There are many different types of sleep disorders, but the most common one is called insomnia. Signs of insomnia are:²

• Not getting enough sleep
• Sleeping at the wrong times of the day
• Poor quality of sleep
• Waking up earlier than intended
• Feeling tired during the day
• Feeling irritable

More than 1 in 3 people with chronic hives report trouble sleeping. This is often because chronic hives cause itch and discomfort. These feelings, especially the itch, can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. For many people, itchiness can increase at night, when we are most likely to be sleeping. Research also shows that sleep troubles are more likely and more severe during hive flare-ups.^1,3

The link between hives and sleep troubles goes both ways. Rates of chronic hives are higher in people with insomnia. This may be because poor sleep can impact hives. A lack of sleep can cause stress, which is a common trigger for chronic hives. This can cause a negative cycle which leads to more frequent hive breakouts and trouble sleeping.⁴

Can Lack of Sleep Cause Cholinergic Urticaria Hives?

Can Sleep Affect Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Hives In Your Sleep?

Post by: hieveryone on February 15, 2010, 03:25:28 PM

Hi guys, hope youre doing fine with this frustranting illness. I have one question for you, how many hours do you usually sleep each day?. Ive been thinking and Ive realized that I sleep a lot of time, like 10-11 hours a day counting the afternoon time. At first I didnt sleep so much (9hrs) but I know that I loved to sleep and I was often very very tired. Then when the antihistamines I always related to this. Hope you reply, good luck and think positive!

Title: Re: Time you sleep

Post by: HivesGuy on February 15, 2010, 03:30:55 PM

I rarely take naps during the afternoon. I usually can only sleep at night.

During the night, I usually sleep about 8-9 hours or so.

Antihistamines make me drowsy, and I never really take them.

Title: Re: Time you sleep

Post by: thecheezit on February 16, 2010, 11:22:24 PM

-

Quote from: hieveryone on February 15, 2010, 03:25:28 PM

Hi guys, hope youre doing fine with this frustranting illness. I have one question for you, how many hours do you usually sleep each day?. Ive been thinking and Ive realized that I sleep a lot of time, like 10-11 hours a day counting the afternoon time. At first I didnt sleep so much (9hrs) but I know that I loved to sleep and I was often very very tired. Then when the antihistamines I always related to this. Hope you reply, good luck and think positive!

Have you had your thyroid checked?

When I had an untreated thyroid problem I was tired a lot, frequent naps during the day and hard time waking up in the morning and even with all the sleep I was getting I still felt drowsy. I suggest you get your thyroid checked if you havent already.

Title: Can Sleep Affect Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Hives In Your Sleep?

Post by: heintz_nick on November 09, 2010, 07:16:20 PM

I am 15 years old, I live in Wisconsin, and Ive had Cholinergic Urticaria for probably a year or so.

When I dont get 8 hours of sleep at night (Which is almost every night, last night I only got 4 1/2 hours) I notice that any small amount of warmth effects me a lot more than it usually would! As I type this I am sitting on my bed, my window is open (its around 40 degrees outside), and my room is 60-ish degrees.

Even though its cool in my room, my legs are itchy, flushed, and burning. My torso, arms, and cheeks/ears/neck are burning and have that prickly sensation (Its not to the point of pain, its just annoying). When I get more sleep at night, I feel fine when my room is like this, and I can even forget about the Cholinergic Urticaria!

(Another example: I stayed up all night when I was at a friends house and I felt like I was dying in the morning, even when they had their AC on, and I can honestly say: I have never had a worst attack than that!)

Has anybody else noticed this before? ???

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: HivesGuy on November 10, 2010, 06:06:03 AM

Hey heintz_nick,

Great post and welcome to the forum!

I know what you mean about the keeping the window open in the cool weather. I literally keep my house between 50-60 degrees in the dead of winter just to keep my hives down.

I cant say that I have noticed a correlation between sleep length and the severity of attacks. Right now my hives are bad whether I sleep 10 hours or not. I also get my sleep interrupted by my hives a lot too. It is frustrating, because I will wake up cold, and put the blanket on me. Then I wake up itching, and throw it off. And I go through this most of the night. Ugh.

Anyway, that is interesting if your hives are being affected by your sleep, and I would definitely keep an eye on it and maybe keep a journal or something to see if it changes.

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: Green727 on November 11, 2010, 09:16:32 AM

Hey heintz_nick,

I personally am a lot more prone to getting attacks when I have less sleep. And the urticaria is a lot more painful also.

I am about to go back on anti-anxiety medication because I remember my Cholinergic Urticaria started a few years back a while after I stopped taking the medication and so I went back on it and I think it stopped the Cholinergic Urticaria altogether.

Ill try and update this after I start taking the medication again.

Good luck!

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: shindayume on November 13, 2010, 07:05:39 PM

You know, I actually noticed the same affect with my cholinergic urticaria attacks. I dont feel the stinging pain all day but I do have some small intchy bumps around my body and legs throughout the day. Whenever I feel real tired to the point where Im about to pass out, I do feel that stinging pain immediately. Then the usual itchy rashes. Maybe when the brain is tired and its forcing itself to stay awake, your body temp. naturally increases but I know nothing about how the body works.

I also noticed when I focus on something for far too long even if Im not moving my body at all, I get the attacks. So mind power and how much your brain is working probably triggers something in the body.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: willdev on February 24, 2011, 06:21:11 PM

I also suffer from sleep effecting ChU. If I have a nap during the day, I have hives constantly until I manage to go to sleep. So strange!

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: NimNims on March 11, 2011, 09:20:34 PM

Hmm, no, Ive not realized this, but I will note it down if it does affect it the sensitivity

Cholinergic Urticaria has never woken me up in my sleep, I have quite a cool, big room but I completely engulf myself in my covers to keep myself warm. Ive not ever been interrupted

However, once when I was sleeping round my friends house, he has the boiler in his room, and oh my god. was it hard to get to sleep this reaction lasted for about 40 minutes and it felt like utter hell. I didnt want to wake him up, and I was trying not to itch at all

I feel sorry for you if you dont get sleep with it, I honestly do, because I would go crazy I love my sleep.

Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I dont get enough sleep at night

Post by: willdev on March 13, 2011, 05:04:44 PM

Yeah Ive had that trouble at my girlfriends house. Normally I wake up during mug sleep with an attack 4 out of 7 times a week. I have trouble getting to sleep too as I like to have my covers over me however this causes me to get quite hot so its a vicious cycle! Intact Im currently on my iPad in bed trying to cope with an attack right now lol! I have hydroxine a drowsy anti histamine but it makes me not wake uo in the morning for school lol!

Will

Title: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?

Post by: ira on March 16, 2011, 09:03:51 PM

Hello:

This is my first post here. I broke out with hives about ten days ago. Havent had a good nights sleep since.

Im not sure I specifically have Cholinergic Urticaria, as opposed to just plain hives, but the pattern seems to show a correspondence to some cholinergic-adrenergic cycle.

First off. Theres been nothing new in the way of foods or exposure to chemicals . I have no allergies that I know of. They came on during a highly stressful crisis, which is still ongoing. Even light scratching of an itchy area will leave a rash-like mark which will itch. So pressure might make it worse.

But more to the point and the mystery. It seems precipitated by sleep. Even a brief nap will bring it on. I can go through a whole day with very little itching, but I wake up after little sleep with those characteristic red spots and severe itching. Its the itching that wakes me. They will blanch if I apply the slightest pressure to them and vary locationetc.. The itching goes away dramaticallywithin less than half an hour if I have a stiff cup of coffee. But of course, I cant get any sleep after that. Its been almost two weeks since Ive had a good nights sleep. If I dont take a strong cup of coffee upon awakening from nap or sleep, the itching continues relentlessly.

Questions:

1) Sleep brings it onCoffee makes it go away.I think this might be the clue to whats causing it. As well as the severe emotional stress. And the sleep deprivation isnt helping it much of course.. Anyone have any idea as to why this might be?

Topical ointments such as Aveeno (Calamine Lotion) and Benedryl (diphenhydramine) topical cream do make it go away, but only for a few short hours at best. So it wakes me again.

2) Ive tried Allegra (fexofenadine) OTC orally. Been taking it according to directions for two days now. Seems to have made much of the rash go away, but itching continues. Though less intense. Im not clear if I should continue on this for a few more days to see if it will work better on the itch. Or does the fact that it hasnt dramatically resolved in two days mean its not going to do the trick? Should I give it more time or try something else?

Im hesitant to use Benedryl orally at this point because of side effects described, so Im hoping to get relief with the second generation antihistamines.

Unless the sleepcoffee pattern provides a clue as to another type of resolution.

Appreciate responses and suggestions to this:

Thanks in advance:

-Ira

Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?

Post by: Darkhorse on April 09, 2011, 11:29:08 AM

Quote from: ira on March 16, 2011, 09:03:51 PM

Hello:

This is my first post here. I broke out with hives about ten days ago. Havent had a good nights sleep since.

Im not sure I specifically have Cholinergic Urticaria, as opposed to just plain hives, but the pattern seems to show a correspondence to some cholinergic-adrenergic cycle.

First off. Theres been nothing new in the way of foods or exposure to chemicals . I have no allergies that I know of. They came on during a highly stressful crisis, which is still ongoing. Even light scratching of an itchy area will leave a rash-like mark which will itch. So pressure might make it worse.

But more to the point and the mystery. It seems precipitated by sleep. Even a brief nap will bring it on. I can go through a whole day with very little itching, but I wake up after little sleep with those characteristic red spots and severe itching. Its the itching that wakes me. They will blanch if I apply the slightest pressure to them and vary locationetc.. The itching goes away dramaticallywithin less than half an hour if I have a stiff cup of coffee. But of course, I cant get any sleep after that. Its been almost two weeks since Ive had a good nights sleep. If I dont take a strong cup of coffee upon awakening from nap or sleep, the itching continues relentlessly.

Hey whats up Ira

Questions:

1) Sleep brings it onCoffee makes it go away.I think this might be the clue to whats causing it. As well as the severe emotional stress. And the sleep deprivation isnt helping it much of course.. Anyone have any idea as to why this might be?

Topical ointments such as Aveeno (Calamine Lotion) and Benedryl (diphenhydramine) topical cream do make it go away, but only for a few short hours at best. So it wakes me again.

strange case indeed

have you tried getting someone to frighten you unexpectedly at some stage in the day to see if your trigger may be adrenalin related (rare chance it is)

are you sleeping under covers? do youo find your skin warm to touch apun waking with the hives?

2) Ive tried Allegra (fexofenadine) OTC orally. Been taking it according to directions for two days now. Seems to have made much of the rash go away, but itching continues. Though less intense. Im not clear if I should continue on this for a few more days to see if it will work better on the itch. Or does the fact that it hasnt dramatically resolved in two days mean its not going to do the trick? Should I give it more time or try something else?

the drowsiness is worth putting up with if your condition is bad enough trust me on that one

the first generation anti-histamines work a lot better than the the 2 gen+ benedryl is a first gen and a good try worth looking into

Im hesitant to use Benedryl orally at this point because of side effects described, so Im hoping to get relief with the second generation antihistamines.

Unless the sleepcoffee pattern provides a clue as to another type of resolution.

Appreciate responses and suggestions to this:

Thanks in advance:

-Ira

the caffeine in the coffee is a vasodilator and can diverts the flow of heated blood to the skin

imo someone with Cholinergic Urticaria the last thing they will take is a warm drink as it can trigger the condition due to raising the body temp

so your condition might well be something else

good luck

-Darkhorse

Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?

Post by: willdev on April 11, 2011, 04:44:39 PM

My hives are also agrevated if I have a nap!

Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?

Post by: HivesGuy on April 11, 2011, 07:04:52 PM

Hey Ira,

Great post and welcome to the forum.

To answer your questions:

1. I sometimes get attacks in my sleep, but I cant say that sleep brings it on. I am not a coffee drinker, so I cant comment about that one. Some things that do seem to make my hives worse are any type of pain medication. I stay away from NSAIDS like IBU profin, and Tylenol always seems to force out an attack when it kicks in, or when it wears off, which is really odd. I am also more reactive on a full stomach as compared to an empty stomach. I suppose this could vary for people with Cholinergic Urticaria, and some may have things which trigger an attack more than others.

2. Generally speaking, the antihistamines are probably going to be most effective the first time you take it. As you take more and more, its effects could start to diminish slowly over time as your body adapts. If Allegra isnt doing the trick, then you may want to talk to your doctor about trying other anthistamines (such as Zyrtec, Xyzal, Claritin etc.). Sometimes, I take both an H1 and H2 (Zantac and Allegra). I dont take them at the same time, but a couple hours apart.

Of course, you need to talk to a doctor before you do this, and I definitely wouldnt do it daily or long term (I dont). I only use that combo when I really need it (like this week when I had to life a heavy door in Lowes). It knocks down the hives quit a bit. But the bottom line is that antihistamines can help take the edge off, and if you spend some time trying different ones (under a docs supervision), then you may be able to find one that really helps a lot.