I woke up the other night covered in itchy hives.
Sounds fun, right Jimi?
Not really...
And it was a first for me - at least that I can remember.
I was dreaming that I'd gotten covered in mosquito bites somehow, and was itchy all over - then would pop in and out of sleep, in a haze of itching and confusion.
Once finally awake, I went to the bathroom, flipped on the light, and looked in the mirror.
Stunned, I stood there a few minutes - finding itchy welts on my back, legs, elbow, knees, and ankles.
At first, I thought some crazy bugs must have invaded our bed - but after I rudely woke up my wife in a frenzy, it was discovered that she and Nica were bite-free.
My wife is a nurse, and quickly identified my mystery "bites" as hives, something she saw often when she worked in the ER.
"Take a Benadryl and go back to sleep", she said.
But
why?!
Why is this happening to me?! My mind went in a thousand directions and I found it difficult to go back to sleep (or stop itching) - until the Benadryl kicked in.
NOTE: I am not 100% anti-medication, especially after my wife's vicious autoimmune flares over the past 5 years, where without steroids, she would have likely been permanently damaged and in excruciating pain.
Naturally, I blew off much of what I was supposed to do the next day and started researching hives - a new topic for me.
I learned this could be an allergic reaction to food, clothing, bedding, or something I'd put on my skin.
But I hadn't eaten anything strange, worn any new clothing, changed bedding, or tried any different lotions, creams, or soaps.
Then I found that hives can be a sign of liver disease, certain types of cancer, and a handful of different autoimmune conditions.
"Well, let's hope it's none of those things", I said, and moved on to other potential causes.
Viral infections... and I
had just felt a
tiny bit under the weather after returning from a work trip to Amsterdam the week prior.
So maybe it was that.
And then I saw it... STRESS.
Hives are often triggered by periods of acute stress - and that was
absolutely true in my life the last few weeks.
Plus I'd just traveled, which is an additional stress on the body. Add in a possible minor viral infection and BOOM - stress hives!!
For the last 4 or 5 days, since that happened, I have made stress reduction the primary focus in my life - and spent quite a bit of time in front of my red light/NIR device. (Great for skin issues!)
The next couple days, I still got some hive outbreaks, mostly at night - although not as severe as the first one.
Now, two days - no hives. And I'm
feeling better overall, which is a bonus!
Why am I telling you this story?
Because it demonstrates that:
1) Even the "health experts" you follow on social media and subscribe to for education, encounter periods of high stress with sub-optimal self-care.
2) Stress has a
massive impact on our physiology in
far more ways than we may realize.
3) It's a perfect segway into our
new blog article breaking down the physiology of stress.
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In this
comprehensive article, you'll learn all you need to know about the stress response and its impact on your overall physiology.
- The definition and cause of stress
- How the body responds to stress at the physiological level
- Stress symptoms and long-term effects
- Ways to manage stress naturally
- Supplements for stress management
- ... and much more!
As someone with a life history of rather severe chronic anxiety, learning about stress, the impact it has on my physiology, and ways to manage/reduce stress naturally has been
huge in my personal journey.
And when I forget... my body now has a new (itchy) way to remind me!
If you made it
all the way through my story... bravo!
So don't wait for your body to be covered in itchy welts and integrate natural stress management into your life
today.
In health and uninterrupted sleep,