Can Stress Cause Hives

From LoveToKnow Stress

Can stress cause hives? Doctors worldwide agree that stress can indeed cause hives. Here’s what to do if you happen to break out.

Yes, stress can cause hives!

Can Stress Cause Hives

For decades, doctors have known that stress causes physical symptoms. Stomach pains, tension and migraine headaches, and muscle aches plague stressed people. Stressful triggers launch the body’s fight or flight mechanism, kicking in natural mechanisms that helped our ancestors fight off saber-tooth tigers but do little to fight today’s work and home-related stressors.

Stress-Related Hives

Hives, or urticaria, occur in approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of all people at some time in their lives. Characterized by red or white bumps, hives appear on top of the skin. They may feel itchy or sting. Hives can appear suddenly and disappear just as suddenly, or stick around and make you miserable for a week. Everyone seems to experience hives differently, and different causes appear to create different manifestations of hives.

Environmental triggers including allergies to pets, perfumes or skin creams can cause hives as well as stress. Stress-related hives may appear within minutes or hours of the stressful event. They may look identical to physically induced hives. If you’re prone to hives, you’ll need to become a bit of a detective to determine if hives are caused by contact with something or from stress.

The Skin and Hives

The skin is the largest organ of the human body, responsible for protecting us from our environment, acting as a barrier against bacteria and infection, and eliminating wastes through perspiration exerted through the pores.

When a person encounters a stressor, such as an overwhelming event or activity, the body releases an abundance of two chemicals: Cortisol and adrenaline. Other peptides, hormones and chemicals cascade throughout the body. These automatic functions prepared our ancestors to fight physical challenges or run away from them. Each chemical acts upon different muscles, glands and organs, preparing the body for battle or activity of some kind to fight the stressor.

In some sensitive individuals, the body either releases too much of these chemicals or the automatic mechanism is discordant somehow. Chemicals coursing through the system end up creating hormonal imbalances, causing hives. When the flood of chemicals subside, the hives disappear.

Stress Hives or Allergies?

First determine whether or not hives are caused by stress or allergies. Hives generally appear the same no matter what the cause, so you can’t tell just be looking at hives whether they’re caused by a fight with your spouse or the new perfume you tried on at the mall last night.

Doctors recommend keeping an episode journal. Simply use paper and pen and record the date, time, location and severity of the hives, noting when they started, how they felt, how big they were, what color, and where they were located. Also jot down any new foods you may have eaten, especially if you ate out prior to the episode of hives. Some food additives, colors, or spices cause allergic reactions and induce episodes of hives. Record any stressful events, too, and be sure to note when the hives disappeared.

Seek medical help immediately if an outbreak of hives includes swelling of the mouth or tongue, or you have difficulty breathing. Always seek medical attention if hives last for longer than a week without a break.

The log created by your episode journal provides your doctor with useful clues to determine if hives are stress related or caused by physical events. Share your journal with your health care professional for a final diagnosis.

Treating Hives

Hives aren’t life threatening, but they can be annoying, especially if you have a big event coming up and the red bumps are visible. Simple treatments for hives include:

Over-the-counter medicines. Benadryl and other over-the-counter medications provide fast relief and are readily available at pharmacies, supermarkets and variety stores.
Prescription medications. Your doctor may prescribe a stronger antihistamine pill, or a topical cream to reduce and eliminate hives.
Homeopathic remedies. Some homeopathic remedies treat hives. Common remedies include Apis and Urtica urens. Please consult a qualified homeopathic doctor before trying these remedies.

An Ounce of Prevention

Can stress cause hives? Yes, and stress relief may prevent them. Using tools such as relaxation imagery exercises, stress reliever games, and natural stress relievers helps eliminate or reduce stress to prevent future outbreaks of hives.