How to Stop Itching When Exercising in 10 Simple Ways

Have you ever experienced itching when exercising?  

For some people, the itching can be so serious that they are not able to continue their workout. 

Itching during exercises is also called Pruritus. And it happens on the outer surface of the skin. 

While comes with this unpleasant sensation that provokes a scratch, Pruritus does not come with rash or any irritation. 

In this post, we’ll discuss the causes of itching during your workouts and exercises.

Finally, we’ll share some practical and effective tips to stop itching when exercising.

Let’s dive in!

What are the causes of itching when exercising?

1. Nerves 

The nervous system of the human body consists of certain receptors -nerves.

These nerves respond to different actions on the body like heat, cold, pain, and itching. 

These receptors are continuously reporting to the mind about the happenings in the body. 

A study found that there is an overlap between the neural response toward itching and a sense of pain.

2. Effects of Fibromyalgia

One possible cause for itching when you start exercising is Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that makes you tired, moody, and have a lot of musculoskeletal pain.

This condition can intensify itching and pain by impacting how the brain signals to the spinal cord.

So for example, during an exercise, when muscles heat up, this disease brings the sensation of itching. 

However, the damaged nervous system can also be a reason. When that happens, you feel a sense of itching during exercise.

Mere heating of muscles due to their extensive mobility can cause itching.

Itching of this kind is very hard to locate and thus feels deep in the muscle. 

3. Inflammation 

Studies conducted on itching in the aftermath of a workout linked itching to inflammation.

Turns out that vasculitis, a disease of arteries, vessels, and capillaries, causes inflammation in the blood. 

Let me explain.

When you work out, blood flow is improved in your body.

In case you are experiencing vasculitis, the walls of blood vessels contract or expand and thus restrict the flow. 

These happenings in your body are likely to send signals to your body about itching. 

However, itchy muscles are nothing to worry about, but they can be a symptom of another health problem. 

10 effective ways to stop itching when you exercise

Look, itching during exercises is a horrible feeling.

You may even be tempted to stop the exercise because of that sensation of itching right near your ankle or calves or back.

But you do not need to quit. Here are some solutions:

1. Hydrate

If you are feeling itching during exercise, there is a possibility that there’s an increase in your body temperature. 

You need to control the temperature and you can drink a lot of water and other fluids. 

Water that is stored in the middle layers of the skin comes to the skin’s surface as sweat when the body heats up. As it evaporates, it cools the body. In sport.

Research suggests that when there is too little water in the body, heat increases.

Heat storage increases and the individual is less able to tolerate heat strain.

Having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical strain if heat stress occurs during exercise. However, more research is needed on these effects.

2. Choose loose-fitting clothes

Try wearing loose clothes. Several studies including this one have found that the right kind of outfit can impact your workouts.

The nature of what we wear, how they fit, and the fabric are all critical.

Clothes influence the amount of sweat absorbed from the skin and transported throughout the clothing. 

For example in a HIIT workout, you will be sweating a lot.

So choose an outfit you’re comfortable with and one that airs out the heat and absorbs sweat from the skin.

This is especially critical if you exercise in hot weather.

There are several workout clothes available in the market which are designed to absorb sweat.

This will help you maintain a low body temperature. It’ll also reduce itching and irritation from sweating.

3. Consider the side effects of medication

If you’re on other medications, that could lead to more itching. Medications are likely to cause your skin itching. 

It sometimes appears as rashes – for example, rashes on the butt or rashes under the breast.

You should consult your doctor who recommended that medicine to you to discuss this effect.

4. Take an antihistamine before workouts

There is another assumption that histamine is released naturally when you exercise to prevent fatigue. 

Histamine is responsible for expanding your blood vessels for a better flow of blood. But it sends a wrong itchy signal to the mind via nerves.

The solution here is to take an antihistamine before you go to the gym.

5. Listen to music during exercise

A study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing reported that listening to music can help distract from the pain.

One of the participants in the study concluded:

The music helped me to forget about the pain for a while. I was able to concentrate on the music and not on the pain. It helped me feel better.

Besides the distraction from pain, there was something else.

All of the participants indicated that listening to familiar music distracted them from fear, pain, and anxiety.

And this, in turn, allowed them to be calmer and, in many instances, fall asleep. 

Here’s the point: 

If itching during exercise is a distraction, listening to music during your exercise can help.

6. Take care of your skin

Sometimes, it is nothing that causes you itching. Instead, it is your rough skin. 

You need to keep your skin well-moisturized.

Eat the right food for healthy skin. Even if there is any reason for itching, your healthy skin won’t let you feel. 

7. Get a routine

Imagine you spend a long time sitting, without movement. There’s a chance your body will begin to itch when you finally go to the gym.

Exercising after a long time of being sedentary might cause itching.

This is because your capillaries and arteries expand. You should try to remain to persist along with other solutions. 

8. Try different exercises

Sometimes, when you are doing a specific workout like jogging, it’s likely you’ll start to feel itching.

You should not quit or take a break; rather, you can try another. Switch to different compound exercises or other aerobic workouts.

The thing which matters is that you should not stop. Keep going. 

9. Reduce inflammation

Sometimes, itching is caused by inflammation in muscles.

You should take Tylenol. It will reduce muscle inflammation and, thus, the sensation of itching. 

10. Improve air circulation

Avoid working out in the blazing sun. And remember to take short breaks but do not quit.

If it’s humid, turn on the fan to provide good air circulation and temperature.