We all get rashes (similar to hives, also called urticaria) at some point in our lives but these rashes usually develop due to factors, such as certain foods or medications. But what if we told you these rashes can also come into existence due to anxiety? Well, this is what forms the breadth of talking points in the words below as we are about to discuss early stage anxiety stress hives, so let’s talk about these and the link between anxiety and hives. If you have questions like “Does anxiety cause hives?”, or Does anxiety cause hives?
Defining Anxiety
Our brain has areas called the amygdala and hypothalamus, which among other things, are tasked with handling the fight or flight response. The fight and flight response is responsible for alerting us of an impending danger. It was extremely relevant from an evolutionary point of view and still is for certain situations in our day-to-day lives but the response it gives, in the shape of anxiety and stress, can go overboard.
And that’s where things go awry. Anxiety, when it gets out of hand, is capable of spewing a range of different symptoms, one of which is early stage anxiety stress hives. So, let’s talk about these in the next section in a bit more detail and also the link between anxiety and hives.
Read More: Different levels of Anxiety & stages of anxiety recovery
Early Stage Anxiety Stress Hives
Hives, also called urticaria, have a range of different causes, but one of the biggest ones is anxiety due to the nature of this cause’s origin. Its exterior is similar to the ones that occur for reasons like an allergen or a physical trigger, like pressure from tight clothing. But when it comes to anxiety, evidence exists that proves chronic anxiety is capable of increasing the sympathetic nervous system’s response to stress and yes the same one as the fight or flight response (Fontes et al., 2023).
Read More: Can anxiety cause nausea? What’s their association?
This response that we are talking about above releases a chemical called histamine, which is usually released in response to inflammation and allergy. Likewise, this sudden increase of histamine leads to early stage anxiety stress hives (Patel & Mohiuddin, 2023). Elevated body temperature and the increased presence of sweat also contribute to these hives (Shebak, 2016). Anxiety should not be taken lightly as it can have an underlying problem running in the background such as OCD or can later cause problems such as depression
But why is there mention of the term “early stage” in the name of this anxiety rash? Well, this is because these early stage anxiety stress hives go as early as they come. They just last about 30 minutes or an hour after the anxiety reaction but may also last for about 24 hours or so (Dabija et al. 2023).
Read More: How to Stop Feeling the Lightheadedness Anxiety Symptom?
Early Stage Anxiety Stress Hives Connection To Emotions
Hives caused by anxiety have a tendency to create emotional issues in the affected individuals. People suffering from anxiety hives often complain about exacerbated anxiety and embarrassment brought on due to the hives. This specifically happens due to how the symptom, early stage anxiety stress hives, manifests on the body. But rest assured, they don’t last more than 24 hours (Dabija et al. 2023).
Other Causes of Hives Anxiety Rashes
Something like early stage anxiety stress hives usually erupts as a result of raging anxiety but it does not exist solely due to it. There are a couple of other reasons, it starts displaying itself on your body, including but not limited to (Anxiety Disorders, n.d.):
- Genetics: Like everything in the field of mental health, for example, the prevalence of bipolar disorder in the family, family history plays a big role in the diagnosis of breaking out in hives anxiety. If one of your family members had even the slightest hives anxiety rash then chances are you are going to have these too. Hives’ anxiety has this commonality with mental issues such as psychosis.
- The environment: Stressful life events, trauma, grief, abuse, or prolonged illness, all of which are environmental factors, can be a cause of concern when it comes to the inducement of early stage anxiety stress hives.
Is This The Only Symptom of Anxiety That Proves Challenging For Your Skin?
This isn’t the only thing that affects your skin if you are suffering from anxiety. These are the other skin problems that can come as a result of anxiety, which is proven in a 2018 study (Bin Saif et al., 2018):
- oily, waxy patches or flakes on the scalp
- dry or sore rash
- warts
- scaly skin
- excessive sweating
- face rashes
- hand rash
- hair loss
- pimples
- itchy skin
If you leave anxiety or early stage anxiety stress hives untreated and it doesn’t subside, then you risk developing these much worse skin problems:
- psoriasis
- alopecia
- eczema
Read More: Itching and Anxiety: Can Anxiety Cause Itching?
Anxiety Hives Treatment
Hives caused by anxiety are very much treatable, but one has to go after the root cause: anxiety. Anxiety is very much treatable by using treatment options like psychiatric medication management, or psychotherapy or a combination of both while positive lifestyle changes. Let’s see these:
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Psychiatric medication management
It is the monitored version of the medication, which tests and monitors the effects of different types of medication and finds the most suitable one. For treating anxiety, antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or anti-anxiety pills such as benzodiazepines can be used. To directly cater to hives, one can get over-the-counter antihistamines.
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Psychotherapy
An expert uses conversation and empathic availability to find resolutions for an affected individual, so in that way, it is perfect for treating anxiety. Affected individuals can use it to look inward into the problematic behavior that might be stemming from raging mental issues.
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Lifestyle changes
A balanced diet, good sleep schedule, or regular exercise, all of which are considered to be positive lifestyle changes, can be considerably helpful in treating anxiety and therefore early stage anxiety stress hives as a result.
Read More: Everything About Separation Anxiety Disorder
Conclusion
We have jotted down everything related to early stage anxiety stress hives, so you will not have questions like “Can anxiety give you hives?”, or “Can anxiety cause hives and itching?”. If it is the treatment options that you are looking for, like the ones mentioned above, or flexible options like telehealth psychiatry to treat anxiety or other mental problems such as an eating disorder, then don’t look further than Inland Empire Behavioral Group.
