Dealing With Itchy Skin In Bed

There is nothing more torturous than being super exhausted, ready to head into "Dreamland" and feeling too itchy to get there. While on my solo travels in the South Pacific, I have been dealing with itchy skin due to various factors like pet dander and getting sunburnt like a roasted tomato. Lately, it kinda feels like a non-stop carousel of triggers and they have all made my skin a bit more sensitive than it usually is which has made getting a good night's sleep a little bit more elusive.

Sunburn and eczema

Getting sunburnt with eczema feels like having super tender skin that is constantly peeling. Because the top skin layer has been fried, we're dealing with a super dry, dead skin layer. This can lead to its own form of cracking if I smile or open my mouth widely to eat.

Keeping cool

With the sunburn on my face, I find that keeping my head cool is very helpful. When I go to sleep, I usually like to create a cocoon-like effect with the blankets and just completely cover my head, face, and body in blankets. But lately, the heat and humidity from doing this just makes my face feel itchy and suffocated so I have been exposing my face or only using the lighter cotton blanket to cover my face with when I sleep.

Pet dander and eczema

When it came to the pet dander, cracks developed on the sides of my neck along with swelling. Every time I tried to crack my neck (which I often do before and after I sleep), it would feel like I was splitting my neck open or getting paper cuts on my neck over and over again. The agony! Even just moving my hair or turning my head in my sleep would split open these wounds and that would wake me up and make me feel very anxious.

Using balm

And with the pet dander neck cracks, all I can do is try to stay still and keep a balm next to me to put over the cracks to seal them and keep them from getting any deeper. Usually, anything that is organic, vegan, and contains calendula has proven to be quite helpful. I really like Earth Mama’s Angel Baby Bottom Balm and Province Apothecary’s Hydrating Rescue Balm for this. If my cracks remain dry they are more prone to cracking again. So, periodically in my sleep, if I feel crack reopening, I will take some of the balm and put a thin layer on top just enough to cover it.

Avoiding triggers

Eventually over time, as I switched Airbnb to homes without any pets the cracks went away on their own. But putting the balm on every night at least give me some protection and gave me some time to heal before waking up and re-exposing myself to pet dander for the day.

Managing itchy skin in bed

If you decide to go traveling and you have eczema, know that it is possible, but that it’s going to take some strategizing and a lot of patience if you get flareups that keep you up at night for one reason or another. Hopefully, this article will help you with two types of triggers and make your travels much more pleasant! What do you do to deal with itchiness in bed?