Living with Atopic Dermatitis How does it affect sleep and quality of life?

Atopic Dermatitis has a significant physical and psychological impact on those whose lives it touches.
This article looks at what makes the disease so stressful to live with. We summarize research findings into the relationship between Atopic Dermatitis, a lack of sleep and a negative psychological impact and make suggestions on how to soothe and calm skin to improve overall quality of life.

Atopic skin can appear anywhere on the body, and its location can vary according to age, but wherever it appears it is dry, red, itchy and irritable. You can read more about the areas most commonly affected by Atopic Dermatitis in Atopic Dermatitis on different parts of the body and Facial Atopic Dermatitis.

It is typified by two phases:

• The acute phase when skin flares up and is at its most itchy and irritable
• The non-acute period between flare-ups when skin is calmer

You can read more about these two phases in Understanding Atopic Dermatitis and Identifying and managing flare-ups.

The acute phase is the hardest to cope with regardless of the age of the sufferer. The natural reaction to itchy skin is to scratch, but scratching only makes things worse. It spreads bacteria, intensifies the sensations of itchiness and can damage the skin. You can find out more about the flare-up phase in Identifying and managing flare-ups.

But the physical effects of a flare-up reach beyond the skin:

Atopic Dermatitis takes its toll mentally as well as physically. Red, sometimes raw, skin affects someone’s appearance. Constant itching makes sufferers stand out and get noticed too. These anomalies of appearance and behaviour can cause issues such as low self-esteem, difficulties in relationships with peers and partners, bullying, discrimination and social exclusion.

Living with Atopic Dermatitis can be considerably stressful. But stress itself is also a potent trigger for the disease² potentially exacerbating symptoms and making things worse.

The disease can also have significant financial implications for individual families and for society as a whole.¹

Treatment can prove expensive for low income families and, as the disease continues to grow in the developing world this is likely to become more rather than less of a problem. Data suggests that the disease is responsible for a significant number of sickness days (days off school or work). Time wise, it puts considerable pressure on healthcare providers.

Sadly there is no cure for Atopic Dermatitis, but there are lots of things you can do to care for your or your child’s atopic skin and help reduce and calm symptoms:

Identifying and avoiding potential triggers is another important step in delaying and reducing symptoms. You can read about the potential triggers of Atopic Dermatitis and how to avoid them in Understanding Atopic Dermatitis. If your baby or child suffers from the disease then Atopic Dermatitis in babies and children will give you advice on the triggers most commonly associated with infants and how to avoid those.