Guest Post by www.healthy-house.co.uk
Living with eczema can be extremely challenging on our emotional well-being. Anxiety and stress are common triggers that cause eczema to flare up, which then creates more anxiety and stress, which then leads to more eczema flare-ups, and round and round you go! This common circle is where it gets tricky. That’s why getting support from friends or family is very important. It is also crucial to make sure you are using the correct products that work for you and your skin.
Healthy Mind – Healthy Body
Trying to have a positive mindset and getting enough sleep is imperative for overall physical and mental health. Stress should never be underestimated! The toll it can have on the body can be quite surprising.
Eczema (as well as other skin issues, such as Psoriasis for example) can become much more severe in symptoms, exacerbated by stress. A good night’s sleep can have a positive mental and physical impact on the mind and the body. Sleep is how the body rests, revitalises and repairs itself. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep gives your body the time it needs to revitalise and in turn, helps to keep your eczema calm.
Moisture, Bathing & Skincare
Keeping your skin moisturised is a clear and obvious factor, and easily the most important. However, it’s not the only factor and the right timing on when you should moisture is equally important.
Showering or bathing can sometimes be overlooked as a factor for eczema. Many people don’t realise just how much of an impact it can have. When showering or bathing, it is typically best to do so in lukewarm water and not hot. Heat will irritate the skin, which is definitely not something you want when prone to eczema flare-ups. By maintaining a moderate level of heat when bathing, the level of irritation is reduced and will minimise the effect on the skin.
Once you’ve finished bathing or showering, pat your skin dry instead of rubbing and then make sure to add a nourishing moisturiser. This is best done just before your skin is fully dry and will help lock in the moisture your body needs. Most importantly, keep at it! You might not see results immediately, but doing so constantly can, over time, have a huge impact on your skin health.
Is Your Skin Thirsty?
Dry skin is probably the most common trigger for eczema. For people prone to eczema, skin that’s too dry can easily become irritated, itchy, and break out in irritable red patches. Dry skin is most commonly caused by your skin becoming dehydrated over time.
You can rehydrate your skin by drinking plenty of water. Of course, drinking more water also comes with a lot of benefits for your overall health. One of the more surprising benefits to drinking plenty of water is that being well hydrated helps to keep the mind healthy and active. This in turn helps us to deal with the rigours of the day more effectively, as well as cope with stress.
A more active, healthy mind should not be dismissed when considering how to manage your eczema condition. It’s these kinds of small changes to your lifestyle and mindset that can help give you a positive outlook on life and equally keep your eczema calm.
We Are What We Eat
Check your diet. There are certain foods that have been connected with triggering eczema aggravation. The most common foods are cow’s milk and eggs. In addition, the following have all been found as possible triggers for eczema.
- Citrus Fruits
- Dairy in general
- Gluten or Wheat
- Soy
- Spices, Vanilla, Cloves and Cinnamon
- Tomatoes
- Some Nuts
It may be worth checking your diet and perhaps cutting down (or cutting out completely) various items on the list for a short while to see if this helps to alleviate eczema symptoms. Everyone’s body is different, so different foods may be triggers for different people. Experiment and you should be able to isolate any foods that are triggers for you.
Eczema & The Effect On People’s Lives
National eczema society did a survey on adults with the most common eczema skin condition; Atopic Dermatitis, and they found that it can alter people’s lives in a lot of ways. For example:
75% say it gets in the way of their job and housework.
71% says its gets in the way of sports and hobbies.
65% say they don’t feel as healthy.
66% say it restricts what they can eat and drink.
In this survey by The National Eczema Association, they reported that adults said their skin interferes with their social life, intimate relationship with their spouse and their relationship with their children. That’s why it is important that we help people with skin conditions as the effects of it are dramatic.
https://nationaleczema.org/in-your-words-survey-series/#AtopicDermatitis
Eczema & Mental Wellbeing
Having eczema can have a negative impact on your body image but a huge aspect of this is that it is adding extra stress onto your body. We’ve already mentioned above just how important managing stress is for dealing with skin conditions; mindfulness can have more of an impact than you might realise. The change of a mindset can change a life. Mindful meditating can have a lot a benefits and improve emotional wellbeing as well as being more active.
Mindful meditation is proven to help fight the urge to scratch eczema, according to research from Emory University. It also has mental wellness benefits such as, calming the mind, relaxing the body whilst helping to calm anxiety, stress, pain and irritation. You can try this yourself by doing the following:
- Take a few minutes out of your day and find a comfortable, quiet environment.
- Sit comfortably and try to keep a straight back. Focus on relaxing your shoulders and neck in particular, as we tend to keep these tense throughout the day. Don’t worry about it too much, though. Just try to be as relaxed as you can.
- Focus on your breathing. No need to take big deep breaths and long exaggerated exhales. Just breathe naturally. If you’re calm, your breathing will be calm, and the opposite to this is true as well. Calm your breathing, and you’ll feel your body follow suit.
- Focus on something. Whether it’s the carpet or chair beneath you, the feeling of the wind on your face if you’re outdoors, or you can simply focus on your chest rising up and down. For some, it is easier to think of something positive, a happy memory, or a place they’ve been that made them feel comfortable and content. Most of all, don’t worry about whether you’re doing it right. There is no right. The key is to just do it, for a few minutes, and let your mind go where it wants.
- If you find yourself thinking about negative, stressful things, or worrying about what you have to do that afternoon and other such distractions, just go back to what you were focusing on before. Breathe. Focus on the ground, the wind or a happy memory. You aren’t doing it wrong. The mind has a tendency to wander. Simply steer it back.
- Over time, you can increase the amount of time you do this for if you wish, but even the biggest changes are best done in small increments. Dedicate a few minutes each day to yourself and your mind. You’re important, so it’s time well spent. And as you get more comfortable, feel free to increase the duration. It’s not a goal, or an objective, to reach 30 minutes. Do this for as long as you feel comfortable. If you make it up to half an hour, or just a simple little five minute session, then that’s what’s right for you.
Mindful meditation allowing oneself to be in tune with one’s own body should be something that everyone tries. Give it a week or so, and if you don’t feel like it’s helping, then there are other activities that have very similar benefits to meditation. Yoga helps to focus the mind on an activity for those who find themselves easily distracted. A short walk is good exercise and refreshes the mind. Find your own personal meditation process, and you’ll feel better for it.
Air Purifiers & Eczema
Air purifiers are a product a lot of people don’t realise they need. They have numerous benefits, but the gift of clean air simply cannot be overstated. Air purifiers are extremely popular if you suffer from allergies and any skin conditions, as it eliminates any nasties in the air. Cleaner air, clearer skin.
Eczema can give you sleepless nights because of irritation or scratching. Air purifiers are proven to improve sleep. We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping, so it is very important to make that sleep comfortable. Air purifiers trap up to 99.97% of airborne allergens such as dust, dust mites, pet hair, pet dander, mould spores and lots of bacteria. Many of these impurities in the air can cause irritation as well as congestion and lower the quality of your sleep. As we’ve mentioned, getting a decent night’s sleep is paramount when it comes to skin conditions such as eczema.
The Healthy House – Help Is At Hand
At the Healthy House, we pride ourselves on stocking the best quality products for numerous allergens and conditions. We have everything from moisturisers, skin creams and shampoos, to air purifiers and specialist bedding. We’re always happy for you to call us for advice on any of our products or drop us an email at info@healthy-house.co.uk.
You can browse our entire range here, at www.healthy-house.co.uk and we sincerely hope you find the right products for helping with whatever conditions or allergies you may have.