Can Sleep Affect Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Hives In Your Sleep?
Post by: hieveryone on February 15, 2010, 03:25:28 PM
Hi guys, hope you’re doing fine with this frustranting illness. I have one question for you, how many hours do you usually sleep each day?. I’ve been thinking and I’ve realized that I sleep a lot of time, like 10-11 hours a day counting the afternoon time. At first I didnt sleep so much (9hrs) but I know that I loved to sleep and I was often very very tired. Then when the antihistamines I always related to this. Hope you reply, good luck and think positive!
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Title: Re: Time you sleep
Post by: HivesGuy on February 15, 2010, 03:30:55 PM
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I rarely take naps during the afternoon. I usually can only sleep at night.
During the night, I usually sleep about 8-9 hours or so.
Antihistamines make me drowsy, and I never really take them.
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Title: Re: Time you sleep
Post by: thecheezit on February 16, 2010, 11:22:24 PM
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Quote from: hieveryone on February 15, 2010, 03:25:28 PM
Hi guys, hope you’re doing fine with this frustranting illness. I have one question for you, how many hours do you usually sleep each day?. I’ve been thinking and I’ve realized that I sleep a lot of time, like 10-11 hours a day counting the afternoon time. At first I didnt sleep so much (9hrs) but I know that I loved to sleep and I was often very very tired. Then when the antihistamines I always related to this. Hope you reply, good luck and think positive!
Have you had your thyroid checked?
When I had an untreated thyroid problem I was tired a lot, frequent naps during the day and hard time waking up in the morning and even with all the sleep I was getting I still felt drowsy. I suggest you get your thyroid checked if you haven’t already.
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Title: Can Sleep Affect Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Hives In Your Sleep?
Post by: heintz_nick on November 09, 2010, 07:16:20 PM
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I am 15 years old, I live in Wisconsin, and I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria for probably a year or so.
When I don’t get 8 hours of sleep at night (Which is almost every night, last night I only got 4 1/2 hours) I notice that any small amount of warmth effects me a lot more than it usually would! As I type this I am sitting on my bed, my window is open (it’s around 40 degrees outside), and my room is 60-ish degrees.
Even though it’s cool in my room, my legs are itchy, flushed, and burning. My torso, arms, and cheeks/ears/neck are burning and have that prickly sensation (Its not to the point of pain, it’s just annoying). When I get more sleep at night, I feel fine when my room is like this, and I can even forget about the Cholinergic Urticaria!
(Another example: I stayed up all night when I was at a friends house and I felt like I was dying in the morning, even when they had their AC on, and I can honestly say: I have never had a worst attack than that!)
Has anybody else noticed this before? ???
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: HivesGuy on November 10, 2010, 06:06:03 AM
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Hey heintz_nick,
Great post and welcome to the forum!
I know what you mean about the keeping the window open in the cool weather. I literally keep my house between 50-60 degrees in the dead of winter just to keep my hives down.
I can’t say that I have noticed a correlation between sleep length and the severity of attacks. Right now my hives are bad whether I sleep 10 hours or not. I also get my sleep interrupted by my hives a lot too. It is frustrating, because I will wake up cold, and put the blanket on me. Then I wake up itching, and throw it off. And I go through this most of the night. Ugh.
Anyway, that is interesting if your hives are being affected by your sleep, and I would definitely keep an eye on it and maybe keep a journal or something to see if it changes.
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: Green727 on November 11, 2010, 09:16:32 AM
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Hey heintz_nick,
I personally am a lot more prone to getting attacks when I have less sleep. And the urticaria is a lot more painful also.
I am about to go back on anti-anxiety medication because I remember my Cholinergic Urticaria started a few years back a while after I stopped taking the medication and so I went back on it and I think it stopped the Cholinergic Urticaria altogether.
I’ll try and update this after I start taking the medication again.
Good luck!
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: shindayume on November 13, 2010, 07:05:39 PM
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You know, I actually noticed the same affect with my cholinergic urticaria attacks. I don’t feel the stinging pain all day but I do have some small intchy bumps around my body and legs throughout the day. Whenever I feel real tired to the point where I’m about to pass out, I do feel that stinging pain immediately. Then the usual itchy rashes. Maybe when the brain is tired and it’s forcing itself to stay awake, your body temp. naturally increases but I know nothing about how the body works.
I also noticed when I focus on something for far too long even if I’m not moving my body at all, I get the attacks. So mind power and how much your brain is working probably triggers something in the body.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: willdev on February 24, 2011, 06:21:11 PM
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I also suffer from sleep effecting ChU. If I have a nap during the day, I have hives constantly until I manage to go to sleep. So strange!
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: NimNims on March 11, 2011, 09:20:34 PM
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Hmm, no, I’ve not realized this, but I will note it down if it does affect it the sensitivity …
Cholinergic Urticaria has never woken me up in my sleep, I have quite a cool, big room but I completely engulf myself in my covers to keep myself warm. I’ve not ever been interrupted
However, once when I was sleeping round my friends house, he has the boiler in his room, and oh my god. was it hard to get to sleep… this reaction lasted for about 40 minutes… and it felt like utter hell. I didn’t want to wake him up, and I was trying not to itch at all…
I feel sorry for you if you don’t get sleep with it, I honestly do, because I would go crazy… I love my sleep.
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Title: Re: More sensitive to heat when I don’t get enough sleep at night
Post by: willdev on March 13, 2011, 05:04:44 PM
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Yeah I’ve had that trouble at my girlfriends house. Normally I wake up during mug sleep with an attack 4 out of 7 times a week. I have trouble getting to sleep too as I like to have my covers over me however this causes me to get quite hot so it’s a vicious cycle! Intact I’m currently on my iPad in bed trying to cope with an attack right now lol! I have hydroxine a drowsy anti histamine but it makes me not wake uo in the morning for school lol!
Will
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Title: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?
Post by: ira on March 16, 2011, 09:03:51 PM
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Hello:
This is my first post here. I broke out with hives about ten days ago. Haven’t had a good night’s sleep since.
I’m not sure I specifically have Cholinergic Urticaria, as opposed to just plain “hives”, but the pattern seems to show a correspondence to some cholinergic-adrenergic cycle.
First off. There’s been nothing new in the way of foods or exposure to chemicals . I have no allergies that I know of. They came on during a highly stressful crisis, which is still ongoing. Even light scratching of an itchy area will leave a rash-like mark which will itch. So pressure might make it worse.
But more to the point and the mystery. It seems precipitated by sleep. Even a brief nap will bring it on. I can go through a whole day with very little itching, but I wake up after little sleep with those characteristic red spots and severe itching. It’s the itching that wakes me. They will blanch if I apply the slightest pressure to them and vary location…etc.. The itching goes away dramatically–within less than half an hour– if I have a stiff cup of coffee. But of course, I can’t get any sleep after that. It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. If I don’t take a strong cup of coffee upon awakening from nap or sleep, the itching continues relentlessly.
Questions:
1) Sleep brings it on…Coffee makes it go away….I think this might be the clue to what’s causing it. As well as the severe emotional stress. And the sleep deprivation isn’t helping it much of course.. Anyone have any idea as to why this might be?
Topical ointments such as Aveeno (Calamine Lotion) and Benedryl (diphenhydramine) topical cream do make it go away, but only for a few short hours at best. So it wakes me again.
2) I’ve tried Allegra (fexofenadine) OTC orally. Been taking it according to directions for two days now. Seems to have made much of the rash go away, but itching continues. Though less intense. I’m not clear if I should continue on this for a few more days to see if it will work better on the itch. Or does the fact that it hasn’t dramatically resolved in two days mean it’s not going to do the trick? Should I give it more time or try something else?
I’m hesitant to use Benedryl orally at this point because of side effects described, so I’m hoping to get relief with the second generation antihistamines.
Unless the “sleep–coffee” pattern provides a clue as to another type of resolution.
Appreciate responses and suggestions to this:
Thanks in advance:
-Ira
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Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?
Post by: Darkhorse on April 09, 2011, 11:29:08 AM
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Quote from: ira on March 16, 2011, 09:03:51 PM
Hello:
This is my first post here. I broke out with hives about ten days ago. Haven’t had a good night’s sleep since.
I’m not sure I specifically have Cholinergic Urticaria, as opposed to just plain “hives”, but the pattern seems to show a correspondence to some cholinergic-adrenergic cycle.
First off. There’s been nothing new in the way of foods or exposure to chemicals . I have no allergies that I know of. They came on during a highly stressful crisis, which is still ongoing. Even light scratching of an itchy area will leave a rash-like mark which will itch. So pressure might make it worse.
But more to the point and the mystery. It seems precipitated by sleep. Even a brief nap will bring it on. I can go through a whole day with very little itching, but I wake up after little sleep with those characteristic red spots and severe itching. It’s the itching that wakes me. They will blanch if I apply the slightest pressure to them and vary location…etc.. The itching goes away dramatically–within less than half an hour– if I have a stiff cup of coffee. But of course, I can’t get any sleep after that. It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. If I don’t take a strong cup of coffee upon awakening from nap or sleep, the itching continues relentlessly.
Hey what’s up Ira
Questions:
1) Sleep brings it on…Coffee makes it go away….I think this might be the clue to what’s causing it. As well as the severe emotional stress. And the sleep deprivation isn’t helping it much of course.. Anyone have any idea as to why this might be?
Topical ointments such as Aveeno (Calamine Lotion) and Benedryl (diphenhydramine) topical cream do make it go away, but only for a few short hours at best. So it wakes me again.
strange case indeed
have you tried getting someone to frighten you unexpectedly at some stage in the day to see if your trigger may be adrenalin related (rare chance it is)
are you sleeping under covers? do youo find your skin warm to touch apun waking with the hives?
2) I’ve tried Allegra (fexofenadine) OTC orally. Been taking it according to directions for two days now. Seems to have made much of the rash go away, but itching continues. Though less intense. I’m not clear if I should continue on this for a few more days to see if it will work better on the itch. Or does the fact that it hasn’t dramatically resolved in two days mean it’s not going to do the trick? Should I give it more time or try something else?
the drowsiness is worth putting up with if your condition is bad enough trust me on that one
the first generation anti-histamines work a lot better than the the 2 gen+ benedryl is a first gen and a good try worth looking into
I’m hesitant to use Benedryl orally at this point because of side effects described, so I’m hoping to get relief with the second generation antihistamines.
Unless the “sleep–coffee” pattern provides a clue as to another type of resolution.
Appreciate responses and suggestions to this:
Thanks in advance:
-Ira
the caffeine in the coffee is a vasodilator and can diverts the flow of heated blood to the skin
imo someone with Cholinergic Urticaria the last thing they will take is a warm drink as it can trigger the condition due to raising the body temp
so your condition might well be something else
good luck
-Darkhorse
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Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?
Post by: willdev on April 11, 2011, 04:44:39 PM
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My hives are also agrevated if I have a nap!
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Title: Re: Sleep brings it on: Coffee makes it go away. Why might this be?
Post by: HivesGuy on April 11, 2011, 07:04:52 PM
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Hey Ira,
Great post and welcome to the forum.
To answer your questions:
1. I sometimes get attacks in my sleep, but I can’t say that sleep brings it on. I am not a coffee drinker, so I can’t comment about that one. Some things that do seem to make my hives worse are any type of pain medication. I stay away from NSAIDS like IBU profin, and Tylenol always seems to force out an attack when it kicks in, or when it wears off, which is really odd. I am also more reactive on a full stomach as compared to an empty stomach. I suppose this could vary for people with Cholinergic Urticaria, and some may have things which trigger an attack more than others.
2. Generally speaking, the antihistamines are probably going to be most effective the first time you take it. As you take more and more, its effects could start to diminish slowly over time as your body adapts. If Allegra isn’t doing the trick, then you may want to talk to your doctor about trying other anthistamines (such as Zyrtec, Xyzal, Claritin etc.). Sometimes, I take both an H1 and H2 (Zantac and Allegra). I don’t take them at the same time, but a couple hours apart.
Of course, you need to talk to a doctor before you do this, and I definitely wouldn’t do it daily or long term (I don’t). I only use that combo when I really need it (like this week when I had to life a heavy door in Lowes). It knocks down the hives quit a bit. But the bottom line is that antihistamines can help take the edge off, and if you spend some time trying different ones (under a doc’s supervision), then you may be able to find one that really helps a lot.