Staying Up Late and Anxiety May Trigger This Skin Condition: Extremely Painful and Contagious
Skin & BeautyLearn about shingles (herpes zoster) - a painful skin condition triggered by stress and weakened immunity, its symptoms, treatment, and prevention through vaccination.
Staying Up Late and Anxiety May Trigger This Skin Condition: Extremely Painful and Contagious
There's a skin condition that, once it appears, causes unbearable pain, and the blisters grow in clusters along the nerves. It is shingles (herpes zoster), and its occurrence is closely related to staying up late, anxiety, and weakened immunity.
What is Shingles?
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). If you had chickenpox as a child, the virus doesn't completely leave your body after recovery. Instead, it 'hides' in the nerve ganglia, remaining dormant. When your immunity drops due to staying up late, stress, anxiety, or illness, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles.
The most distinctive feature of shingles is that the rash appears in a band-like distribution along the nerves, usually on one side of the body. The pain can be intense — described as burning, stabbing, or electric shock-like — and may precede the rash by several days.
Who is at Risk?
Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles. However, the risk increases significantly after age 50, and people with weakened immune systems (due to stress, lack of sleep, chronic illness, or immunosuppressive medications) are particularly vulnerable. Young people who frequently stay up late and live under high stress are also increasingly affected.