Neck so itchy it wakes me up a night. WHY?!? Help!

[GrizeldaMcBain]

For the last year to 18 months, on and off, my neck is so itchy it wakes me up frequently through the night.
I’m 46.
Occasionally there is a visible rash but more often it looks perfectly normal.
Occasionally it itches through the day, but only when it’s in a worst phase.
It starts getting itchiest when I’m trying to get to sleep. This kind of makes sense because maybe I’m distracted in the day so don’t notice so much. But, it wakes me up (sometimes once an hour, I put anti-itch cream in it, it last an hour) so it can’t just be because I’m focusing on it.
I moisturise it with QV cream every day.
If I use steroid cream every day for a week it goes away, stays away for maybe 5-7 days, then comes back.

Its starting to get me down so much, it’s unbearable and the lack of sleep is having a terrible effect on me.

Can anyone identify with this? Is it a middle aged thing? Am I losing my marbles and making it up in my head?

Is it your pillow? Allergy to your soap powder? Or fabric

Is it your hair product aggravating your skin as you sleep and hair is on your neck

Tonight take an antihistamine and if the itching goes you know it’s an allergy

Could be fungal from sweat pooling into neck/chest fold. Pharmacists can give you a heat rash cream.

How often do you wash your bedding?

Do you have asthma?

You could try a couple of drops of oregano oil in some coconut oil, rubbed on over a couple of nights to see if it's a fungal infection. If you are regularly sweaty in folds of skin fungal infections can develop

things you could try include taking an antihistamine and using hibiscrub to wash your neck

Yes I was going to say fungal as I know someone who had this.

Another questioning asthma - I get a really itchy neck and back when mines misbehaving

Sorry, missed that in my post - have tried various antihistamines too.

Not as often as I’m probably supposed to! Probably once every two to three weeks. 😳

Nope

I had thought not fungal as it isn’t in sweaty places or folds. Maybe this is worth a try though!

Thanks for all the suggestions. The only thing I haven’t tried/considered is that it is fungal. Would that not show up more as red circles/blotches? And would it not stay white when I got a tan? Many years ago I had a fungal thing (wasn’t itchy) and only knew I had it because it stayed as white circles when I tanned and then later came up as red circles.

Are you sleeping with your hair tied back? I have a rubber allergy so hair bands bring my neck out in a rash when I sleep with them in because they have rubber in them.

Not this either.

@GrizeldaMcBain I do have asthma (and other auto immune stuff) I also get, on and off, an itchy neck. I keep it under control (mainly) using sudacrem. But occasionally it erupts to while body hives.

is there a connection you know if between an itchy neck and asthma? Please?

Does your scalp also itch (could be hair conditioner)?

One of the signs of perimenopause is itchy skin known as pruritus. A decline in estrogen can lead to thinner, drier skin.

Can this be so localised? When I mentioned it to the practice nurse she said peri itching would be all over.

Only when my hair really needs washed, not when it’s clean.

Shampoo, conditioner, washing powder had to change with perimenopause

I'd try washing with Tgel shampoo and no conditioner. See if it helps to calm the area down (plus loritadine antihistamine).

It's a definite "thing"! I'll see if I can find any articles about it

I have been thinking of your post and on second thoughts it might be 'just' a prickly heat rash whttps://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heat-rash-prickly-heat/

@GrizeldaMcBain From what I've seen in my groups, it's mostly localized itching. I get it on the top of my feet and upper arm.