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Allergies

Face and head itch

01/22/2009

Question:

When I attempt to go to sleep at night, my face cheeks, mouth, head, eyebrows start to itch making it difficult to go to sleep. It takes sometimes 45min or so to finally fall asleep. Am I nuts or have you heard of this before?

Answer:

There are multiple things that can cause you, or anyone, to itch at night. Sometime, especially at this time of the year, people will itch because of dry skin, a condition known as Xerosis. It is possible that you are itching because of something in the bed, this may be the sheets, detergent or softener used on the sheets, dust mite in the bed or irritation from something else in the bed. If the itch is not there at other times of the day, I would focus on the bedroom environment and see if there is something new or different. If you can't identify anything, I would seek out an allergist to help determine the cause of the itch.

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Response by:

David Hauswirth, MD David Hauswirth, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Pulmonary, Allergy, Crtitical Care & Sleep
Pediatrics
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University