Stress and Eczema - Breaking The Cycle [Step-By-Step Guide]
Understand the link between stress and eczema, and learn how to break the cycle using Proton Health app.
Key Takeaways
What Is Stress?
Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or pressured. It can benefit us in many ways and acts as a strong motivator to achieve daily goals related to work and family life.
But when we experience stress often and at high intensity, we tend to become overwhelmed. This can lead to feelings of loss of control, resulting in anxiety, irritability and low self-esteem. ¹
Recognising Stress
Stress can manifest in various ways. Here are the common signs:
Feeling overwhelmed
Frequent racing thoughts
Difficulty concentrating
Constant worrying
A lack of self-confidence
Trouble sleeping
Constant fatigue
Avoidance of social interactions
Changes in appetite
Turning to harmful behaviours such as drinking or smoking
Over long periods, this can lead to anxiety and depression. This is when stress causes a constant impact on our quality of life. As it relates to eczema, stress also has other unintended consequences…
Eczema and Stress: What’s The Relationship?
Eczema and stress have an unfortunate relationship. Whenever we experience stress, our body surges with fight or flight chemicals. Over time, this can increase the activity of the body’s immune system. And eczema is strongly related to an upregulated auto-immune system.
This means that the body in those with eczema is hyper-alert. As a result, it’ll react to the materials on the skin more than those without eczema.² This is what leads to the inflammation commonly seen during flare-ups. Unfortunately, stress only serves to make this even more likely.
The Stress-Eczema Cycle
We’ve covered how stress can act to worsen our eczema. But the opposite is also true. Because worsening eczema leads to increased anxiety. This is understandable as the condition goes well beyond the skin. It can impact our relationships, work and overall confidence. In fact, over 50% of people with eczema report mental health difficulties due to the condition. This is related to the stress-eczema cycle.³
This process explains the two-way effects of stress and eczema. Stress leads to a worsening of our skin due to a heightened immune system and more flare-ups. But worsening eczema leads to increased stress levels, and the process continues. It’s what’s known as a vicious cycle.
It can be easy to let this slide and be caught up in the process multiple times each month. But the research shows that we can use many tried and tested techniques to break the cycle effectively. And it all begins with awareness - so you’re already halfway there…
