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Each of us has experienced, at least once, the uncontrollable urge to scratch, a constant itch all over our body . A hard-to-reach tickle along the back, a tingling sensation on the scalp, something crawling down the legs—in short, itching comes in many forms.
Sometimes it’s simply a minor reaction to a fabric we’re wearing, a cream or shower gel, or external elements. It’s difficult to isolate the cause of itching throughout the body , and often, if persistent, it’s a symptom of something more serious, such as an allergy or a skin condition.
According to research conducted in the United States, scratching generates a pleasurable brain response because it activates the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for automatic actions such as breathing, heartbeat, and blinking.
At the same time, the action deactivates the brain areas involved in the perception of negative sensations and activates those related to pleasant sensations. For this reason, the automatic act of scratching in response to widespread itching generates such a pleasant and repeatable sensation.
Let’s see in detail:
- The most frequent causes
- Causes of psychosomatic origin
- Itchy skin all over: natural remedies
