Psycosomatic itching in 8 year-old DD

[metalplaster]

My daughter is very intelligent but also very highly strung. At bedtime she says she can't sleep because she's so itchy. She comes down several times after bedtime scratching herself all over. She also wakes in the night with itching around 2am.

We've tried giving Piriton and applying various creams, but nothing seems to make much difference. We've been to the doctor but he just seems to think it's a bit of eczema and he's not concerned.

The longer it goes on the more I'm starting to think it's anxiety-related.

Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with their child and what happened?

TIA

Coukd it be dust mite allergy? This can often be worse at night when you’re in bed.

Have you tried damp dusting the room. Hoovering. Hoovering the mattress and washing the bedding in non bio, without conditioner at 60 degrees?

If Yiu think it might be anxiety, are you doing anything to help her deal with this?

Could she be getting itchy from being sweaty? Is she too warm in bed?
My dd is also highly strung and gets itchy at night sometimes!! She gets too warm really easily and I’ve wondered if that’s the cause of it

Eczema is exarcerbated by stress but I doubt the itching is psychosomatic if it is waking her up in the middle of the night.

I would try some proper emollient on her first, like Aveno or Eucerin 10% Urea. They are a bit more expensive than the usual cheap creams GPs prescribe for eczema in the first instance but they are far more effective (I used to apply aqueous cream 9 times a day to keep DS itching at bay, while with Aveeno or Eucerin, it was only twice a day but then... his eczema was a nightmare).

But I think that is a good idea to try to wash bedlinen often, at a high temperature to kill the mites, and using a non bio detergent.

I would have been similar as a child I have restless leg syndrome and while it sounds like something that only affects your legs I experienced the prickly/itchy sensation all over my body. It can be quite frustrating but I keep a fan on in my bedroom to keep it cool at all times which helps.

Anxiety or lyme disease?