Table of contents:
- What is the relationship between psoriasis and insomnia?
- How can psoriasis sufferers get quality sleep?
- Take a warm shower and apply a skin moisturizer
- Nail clippers regularly
- Get into good sleep habits
- Use itching medication as recommended by your doctor
- Do ultraviolet therapy or bask in the sun
Psoriasis is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the skin and an increase in the production of skin cells due to an overactive immune system. On the other hand, psoriasis sufferers are often said to have difficulty sleeping (insomnia). Actually, what is the relationship between psoriasis and insomnia? Then, why do psoriasis sufferers experience insomnia? Check out the explanation below.
What is the relationship between psoriasis and insomnia?
Patients with psoriasis will feel itchy skin and have thick, dry, cracked, and scaly skin. This disease is a skin disease that is difficult to cure.
Psoriasis with insomnia has a continuing relationship. Broadly speaking, itching and pain in psoriasis can cause a person to have poor sleep, or even insomnia.
Psoriasis sufferers often experience insomnia as evidenced by a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology. This study reveals that 25% of people with psoriasis have insomnia problems, while only 10.5% of people without psoriasis have insomnia.
As for insomnia, which causes psoriasis sufferers to experience stress, it can worsen the psoriasis they suffer. If itching and pain in psoriasis is not resolved, a person's insomnia can get worse.
How can psoriasis sufferers get quality sleep?
Although it is true that there is a relationship between psoriasis and insomnia, people with psoriasis can still have quality sleep, if they get the right treatment. Here are some ways you can do this.
To reduce the itching felt by psoriasis sufferers, take a warm bath, not hot water. Hot water will dry out your skin even more and can actually make psoriasis worse. Use a skin moisturizer after bathing to prevent dry skin after showering.
Patients with psoriasis also need to cut their nails regularly. Don't let the long nails injure the skin. This often occurs when the hand unconsciously scratches the itchy skin while sleeping.
While reducing itching in your body, try to develop good sleep habits. This can be done by reducing stress. Do things that can relieve stress, such as talking to those closest to you, worshiping or praying, or other things.
Itching is a major factor in how difficult it is for psoriasis sufferers to get quality sleep. Therefore, it is important to overcome this itching problem so that you no longer experience insomnia. People with psoriasis need to ask their doctor what treatment is right for them. Usually the doctor will provide topical psoriasis medication or topical medication to reduce inflammation and itching.
Apart from medicine from a doctor to treat itching, there are also other therapies that can be done, namely light therapy or phototherapy. Light therapy is carried out by exposing the skin to psoriasis affected by ultraviolet light. However, the easiest thing you can do with this method is to bask in the sun to get vitamin D straight from the sun.
Apart from doing the things above, psoriasis sufferers also need to maintain a good diet. With a healthy diet, psoriasis relapses can be reduced. Psoriasis sufferers also need to change their habits that have made it difficult to sleep. You should avoid drinking coffee at night, turning off the television, computer, or cell phone before bed and turning off the lights when going to bed.
