Why Do We Itch? 💢

Morning Itchy!

You know when you’re doing something really important — like driving — and then… 

You get that little… tingle?

Your nose starts to itch…

Sucks right?

So, why tf do we… itch??

Well, itching is something everyone experiences multiple times a day.

Why?

All sorts of reasons:

Sometimes they even happen for no reason!

Let's take one of the most common things that cause itchiness… bug bites.

Say a mosquito bites you.

This releases a little chemical into your body that all humans are very slightly allergic to…

Something called an anticoagulant.

Anyway, this then triggers the release of another chemical called histamine:

Now, histamine is basically a little helper chemical that makes our blood vessels swell up, allowing more blood to flow in an attempt to accelerate the body’s immune system to combat this threat.

(This is why bites turn red)

The thing is, histamine isn't all good, It also powers up the nerves that cause itching…

This is why bug bites make you scratch.

But the itchiness itself isn't yet fully understood.

Itching has been found to be kinda like a cousin of pain.

Very similar signals.

Now what's interesting is that when you scratch an itch, it causes a VERY tiny pain signal, which overrides this itching signal.

Kinda like a distraction, creating the sensation of relief!

But as for WHY that happens, it's a bit of a mystery.

Some people think it could be as a simple evolutionary defense mechanism against things being on our skin that we don't want to be there. 

Like a harmful sting, a biting insect, or a poisonous plant.

Think about it. 

By automatically scratching it would dislodge any of these harmful things from our skin…

And thus save us.

But who knows, maybe itching is just to punish us lol.

Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈

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