1y ago

You're lying down, trying to sleep. Some part of your body is itchy, scratching will wake you up, not scratching will remain itchy. Do you scratch or wait for the itch to go away?

I have this issue often. I know if I scratch, it will wake me up and take longer to sleep because of my body movement. If I don't scratch, my mind only focuses on the itch. Sometimes I'll wait 5 minutes for the scratch to go away and then I just cave and start scratching any minor itch I have on my body. Has anyone just not moved and let the itch subside or does everyone scratch?

42 comments

I scratch and be done with it.
- Amazing. Are you this good with needing to pee?

If I'm awake enough to notice an itch then I'm scratching it

How do you know you're itchy if you're not already awake? Also maybe you need less itchy sheets or pajamas.
- Saving up for 500 thread cotton
  
  100% best sheets I’ve ever owned, 1,000 TC 100% Egyptian cotton sheets. That is like being cuddled by the softest, smoothest clouds ever. Stupid expensive (I have a king sized mattress) so they usually run a couple hundred dollars. However, they last a really long time, and get softer with age/washing.
  One set has lasted me about 10 years of weekly washing. Only reason I had to buy another set this year, was because I’d torn all the corners of the fitted sheets over time. Tbf I do wrestle them on there quite roughly as I can’t squeeze in on one side of my bed that’s up against the wall… so I’m definitely not gentle..

As someone who suffered from restless leg for more than ten years before the doctors had medications to help, I can tell you that it doesn't matter which answer you pick, you're going to be up all night.
- Do the medications help?
  
  It was the only thing that ever helped! I went for quite a few years getting maybe 3-4 hours of rest every night, I was a walking zombie. Up until that point I had found that leg stretches before bed were helping to ease the symptoms but eventually that stopped doing any good, and I didn't have the energy to get out and walk or do anything else. Meanwhile marijuana got legalized here and my wife has been making edibles to help me sleep. That helped a little but I never really woke up feeling rested, you know? So between these meds and the cookies things have really changed in the last few years. The meds let me actually sleep, and the cookies make sure I can go back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. I've been getting out for walks again and have dropped 30 pounds this year so things are really looking up.

Why do you itch? What is causing you to be itchy. You should not be waking up itchy that is not normal. Diagnose what is causing the itch, and then remove that thing, then you don't have to even deal with the itch conundrum.
But also... scratch that sum'bitch.

Am I the only person who thinks this question sounds like it's from the Voight-Kampff test?
- Now that you mention it, yes it totally does!

Put the phone down, scratch your nuts, and go to sleep ffs.

I have this often when I go to bed directly after showering. I get itchy all over, but scratching makes it worse. I know the itch will pass eventually, so I just wait it out. I hate it though, so I try not to shower before bed.
- Try checking if your shampoo or bodywash has Sodium Laurel Sulphate. A lot of people including me are allergic to it, and it can cause itchiness. There's a lot of options out there free of SLS, so try using products without it.
  
  It does contain sls. I don't have anything in house without sls, but I'll try it. Thanks for the tip!
- Like how often? Could be your soap is causing skin dryness. Maybe try a different brand, or use moisturizing cream after showering.

Put on body lotion before sleep to make it a non-issue. Also, scratch it.
- Lotion is the only thing that helps, especially in winter. If my skin is too dry no amount of scratching will save me, it will only get worse. OP, you may want to try it before going to bed.
  
  I also have a bonus lotion on my bedside table as a backup
- I have a dog that sheds. I'd wake up looking like Cousin It.
- Ooh never tried that thanks for the suggestion

Scratch it! What kind of masochist just endures the itch until it goes away‽
- It's the easiest when in bed to scratch an itch! Imagine you're going downhill on a bike, and your back is itchy all the sudden, or you're swimming in the olympics and you're now itchy... people take this for granted!

Definitely scratch. Honestly, my brain would be thinking of all the ways in which to scratch said itch and would keep me up longer. Just do it.

wait until you take too much niacin - full body itching
- Some pre-work out powders make you feel like you have fire ants crawling in your skin. It's kind neat.