common sentiments revolve around healthy eating, getting adequate sleep, avoiding stress, and drinking lots of water. However, you may never understand the true meaning of such statements until you suffer a health condition that makes you extra uncomfortable.
An example is psoriasis; it’s an autoimmune skin condition that causes itching and discomfort. Psoriasis can stress you up and affect your overall health. When you get stressed, this becomes a vicious cycle. It affects your immunity, appetite, sleep, and lifestyle, thus aggravating the condition.
Are you still wondering what psoriasis is? Read on to find out how stress worsens the condition.
Understanding psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition characterized by red patches plaque with whitish patches on the surface. It occurs when your skin’s cells abnormally grow at a faster rate than normal skin. This autoimmune condition affects both kids and adults alike, and its exact cause is unknown.
However, experts claim that genetics and environmental factors have a role in this. Psoriasis is categorized into different types, and the most common is Vulgaris. It exhibits a silver-white scaly plaque of irregular configuration. It also features raised lesions, mainly on the palms. Seems scary? Of course, but the doctor will always advise you to stop stressing about psoriasis and focus on your treatment. Besides, there are various things that can ease the symptoms and discomfort.
Psoriasis- What a the triggers, symptoms, and treatment options?
Different things can lead to a new bout of psoriasis. These affect people differently and may change with time.
Examples of common triggers include;
- Stress
- Alcohol
- Infection
- Injuries
- Medications
When you suffer from high-stress levels, this may, over time, affect your immune system, making you highly susceptive to infections. Also, stress triggers flare-ups among psoriasis patients, and managing your stress levels helps a lot in psoriasis treatment.
Alcohol is yet another trigger; it raises your chances of psoriasis outbreaks and liver failure. However, cutting down on alcohol consumption offers multiple health benefits. Scratches from injuries or accidents may also trigger flare-ups. Other factors include too much heat or direct sunlight or medications like Lithium and high blood pressure drugs.
Psoriasis involves the immune system attacking healthy skin cells. When you’re sick, your immunity will work extra hard to combat the infection. This might lead to a psoriasis flare-up, especially in the case of strep throat.
What are the symptoms& treatment options?
There’s no known cure for psoriasis, but doctors use different therapies and medications to ease the pain and slow down skin cell growth. These include topicals like creams, ointments, salicylic acid, and vitamin D analogies. Moisturizers are also common, and they help ease the dryness and reduce skin flaking.
Other treatments include light therapy and oral medications like methotrexate and retinoids. In addition, diet plays a vital role in psoriasis management. And the doctor will advise you to avoid food triggers. These can be alcohol, sugary and processed foods, dairy, and red fatty meat. Instead, take lots of fruits ad vegetables and consider vitamin supplements.
Will stress worsen psoriasis?
Some studies show that stress is a significant trigger for psoriasis and can spike flare-ups and discomfort. This is why most doctors will recommend that you manage your stress levels through simple exercises, yoga, music, and meditation to manage the condition.
Stress affects psoriasis patients in various ways. If you suffer from this itchy and uncomfortable condition, you’ll likely get depressed, which affects your system and confidence. When the spots re-appear, you’ll feel less confident, and the cycle will stress you more.
This makes you exhibit more severe symptoms than patients with minimal psychological issues. Here’s how it works. Stress triggers multiple signals between your hormones and nervous system, and immune system. These stimulate inflammatory signals to your skin leading to more psoriasis flare-ups and itching.
The worst bit about this is that psoriasis also causes stress, and living with the condition can make you anxious and less confident. You may start shunning social gatherings, and this affects your relationships. Also, side effects from some drugs may affect your daily activities and lifestyle. This will stress you up, thus worsening the condition.
How can I beat the psoriasis stress cycle?
- Relaxation
Stress affects your body and mind, and learning how to relax helps release the build-up of tension, leaving you feeling refreshed. Examples of great relaxation techniques are yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Meditation can be guided imagery or sitting in a quiet place listening to a song reading book.
Deep breathing is yet another relaxation strategy. It involves breathing in slowly via your mouth, holding your breath then exhaling through the mouth.
- Exercise
Not everyone loves the mention of the word exercise, but it works wonders. Exercising helps in stress relief, weight loss, and improving your sleep. By participating in simple pursuits, you release a lot of tension and anxiety. These can be jogging, running, rope skipping, cycling, and more.
Don’t’ exercise in very hot weather, though. Does heat aggravate psoriasis? Too much heat will lead to lots of sweat; heat your skin, thus triggering flares. Winter is not good either and you may need quality creams and moisturizers to avoid over dying.
Suppose you can manage more strenuous activities, the better! These will allow your body to release endorphins, making you feel better. Exercises also help in weight management, which affects people with psoriasis.
- Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a process that allows you to constantly work on all muscle groups and relax them to release build-up tension. It works best for people who sit for long hours in the office and lack time for regular exercise. For effective relaxation, start from the feet and work your way up to other body parts.
- Self-massage
Massage promotes circulation and eases muscle tension. If you focus on the parts of your body where you feel much pressure, like the neck, shoulders, you’ll start feeling relieved and more relaxed. For excellent results, try gentle kneading and circular motions and repeat this until you ease the tension.
A quick wrap up
Stress affects psoriasis patients in various ways, and this can worsen the condition. If you are undergoing psoriasis treatment, your doctor will guide you to alleviate stress and manage psoriasis. For a more effective treatment regime, practice the stress-relieving ideas discussed and ease the uncomfortable psoriasis symptoms.