Why scratching feet feels good

Then you make more serotonin to control the pain. But serotonin does more than only inhibit pain. While this information can undoubtedly be used to answer other questions within the body, your best bet for avoiding an itch cycle is still just not scratching.

Unscented lotions, coconut oil, and a gentler soap can all sooth your skin. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription.

Scratching is a relatively minor form of pain, but the light pain we experience raking our nails across our skin does seem to help, as does the application of cold, or heat, capsaicin the chemical that gives peppers their heat , or even a few electrical zaps.

This means, paradoxically, that analgesics, which are meant to reduce pain, can actually enhance itch. When something hurts, our body responds with its withdrawal reflex. But the scratching reflex brings attention towards, rather than away, from the affected skin. That actually makes good sense, and points to one possible evolutionary origin for the scratching reflex: closer inspection and a quick scratch is more effective at removing a crawling insect than would the withdrawal reflex.

Scratching is a good way to remove not just insects and parasites, but also bits of plants and any other unwanted material hitching a ride on your skin or in your hair. That release provokes the nociceptors in the skin to send a message to the spine, which then relays the message through a bundle of nerves called the spinothalamic tract up to the brain. In , researchers used a histamine injection to make the legs of their non-human primates itch while an electrode monitored what happened inside their spinothalamic tracts.

As soon as the histamine was injected, those neurons began to fire, and fast. When the researchers offered up a few scratches, those neurons slowed their fire. Their electrodes told them that scratching does its work in the spinal cord rather than in the brain.

Indeed, there is no "itch centre" in the brain. Scratching may have helped our ancestors rid their bodies of annoying, irritating insects Credit: iStock.

If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Pruritus is the medical term for itchiness caused by an irritating sensation on your skin that makes you want to scratch. This can occur anywhere on your skin. Your feet are especially vulnerable because they tend to be placed in sweaty situations with various types of footwear. Many situations can lead to itchy feet, including exposure to:.

Although itchy feet are not usually a cause for concern, they can indicate an underlying skin condition or even a deeper internal disease. Understanding what symptoms you should and should not be worried about can help you find relief from worry. Foot itch caused by a medical condition may be related to an increase in the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

For this reason, your doctor might prescribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI medication to treat itchiness. An irritant can be any substance that causes a reaction in or on your body. They can even be medications or topical ointments that you use to treat other conditions. Medications known to cause body and feet itchiness include opioids or narcotics, such as morphine sulfate, ACE inhibitors , and statins.

Itchy feet will make you want to scratch your skin.