Hives From Anxiety-Can you get Hives From Stress and Anxiety?

Anxiety and Hives

Believe it or not, getting hives from anxiety and stress is one of the top three most common causes.                                                                                          

The other two most common causes of hives are allergic reaction, and viral hives.

The hives that are caused by stress are considered to be acute hives, meaning they could last up to six weeks.

So how does anxiety cause hives? Anxiety can cause your body and mind to be very stressed, and stress can cause serious damage to your organs.

According to Wikipedia----The human skin is the outer covering of the body. In humans, it is the largest organ of the integumentary system.

When our bodies suffer organ damage (even in small amounts), our immune system becomes compromised. Our system's cells can then release a chemical known to us as histamine.

WebMD explains it like this:

"hives and angioedema form when, in response to histamine, blood plasma leaks out of small blood vessels in the skin. Histamine is a chemical released from specialized cells along the skin's blood vessels."

When the body is exposed to excessive stress, the immune system becomes compromised, which will cause specialized cells to release histamine, the histamine released causes the skin to become inflamed.

Hives Due to Stress

Hives from anxiety and stress can be brought on by many different situations.

For instance, you may have experienced the death of a family member, custody battles, divorce, relationship conflicts, problems over money, an illness of a family member, friend, or yourself, or issues at work.

That's not all. Did you know that even good forms of stress can also lead to a hive break out, too!

Many brides to be have reported getting hives before their marriage ceremony, or when they first got engaged.

Could you imagine breaking out in hives just before your wedding ceremony?

Some people experience a hive outbreak before going on vacation, learning about a pregnancy, getting a new job, or even graduating from college.

Anything that causes you to experience too much anxiety and stress can bring on a bought of hives.

This can happen to anyone, male, female, baby, child, and the elderly.

You may have never experienced hives in your whole life, you may have always been as cool as a cucumber under pressure, just one single event happens and you could still wind up with hives.

What do Stress Hives Look Like?

Hives really look the same no matter what their cause. You will also experience the same symptoms as well. Severe itching, burning, soreness, and stinging. Breaking out in hives from stress may leave you feeling achy, tired, and irritable. All though, not everyone will experience the exact same hive symptoms. 

Click here to see pictures and read more detailed information on what hives look like.

What to do for Hives From Anxiety and Stress?

Hives from anxiety and stress are usually brought on suddenly and can spread very quickly. Now I know I am risking sounding like your mother here, but DON'T SCRATCH THEM!

I know the intense itching makes it hard not to scratch, but if you do they will spread and maybe even scab.

Even if you scratch an area that doesn't have hives, you will see one form in that exact area within minutes.

So please refrain from scratching, or you will risk making your situation worse.

In most cases of hives due to stress, the outbreaks only last from a few hours to a few days. There are several report of them lasting up to six weeks tho.

Antihistamine pills like benadryl take an hour to even start working, but the liquid works a little bit faster.

Ice has been known to calm the itch down, and it helps with swelling as well.

You may also try soaking in a lukewarm bath with colloidal oatmeal. When you get out of the tub to dry off, just pat yourself dry, if you rub with the towel you will cause more hives to rise up.

For more ideas read this article: How Stop Hives From Itching

Preventative Measures:

Learning how to manage your stress doesn't have to be difficult. Try to find out what your stress triggers are and react to them using a different approach. Incorporating things like zen, meditation, yoga, and exercise into your daily routine are all great preventative measures.

                            

Consider getting a relaxing massage from a professional once or twice a week. Did you know that chewing gum can actually help you relieve stress?

Soaking in the bathtub, listening to music, infusing lavender, squeezing a stress ball, and taking in deep breaths are all stress releasers.

Try eliminating caffeine from your diet, if you must have it drink green tea instead. Green tea has less caffeine and also has a calming effect.

Catnip tea is also a good stress eliminator, it produces a sedative effect on the body and mind.

Eating healthier is also an excellent way to combat stress. Cut down on sugar, and eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.

You must find a way to release your body, and mind from life's daily stress factors. It has been proven that stress is detrimental to your health.