Encounters with blood-sucking parasites are always perceived negatively. Mosquitoes and fleas move freely in space, do not stay on the “host” for long, lice parasitize intrusively. Getting rid of them is not always easy. This state of affairs is frustrating, shocking, and invariably provokes a state of stress. There is an opinion that nervous disorders are not always a consequence of the appearance of lice. Sometimes an unstable mental state is attributed to the causal dependence of the occurrence of parasites. Can lice appear due to nervous conditions? It is necessary to understand the issue in order to understand whether it is a myth or reality.
Versions of the appearance of lice from nerves
When they say that all diseases are caused by nerves, there is some truth in this. A person experiencing stress becomes vulnerable, including to parasites. His immunity decreases, and it is more difficult for him to cope with the symptoms of diseases. In a stressful situation, a person increases the production of the so-called “stress hormones” adrenaline and norepinephrine, which is why he develops a specific odor that is attractive to parasites. In addition, in a depressed and upset state, a person may neglect hygiene, which is why he simply will not notice the initial stages of damage, when there are not very many insects yet.
But stress is simply an unpleasant companion to lice infection, but not the reason why lice may appear. However, people have absolutely fantastic explanations for the appearance of lice:
- lice constantly live in the human body, it’s just that in normal life they do not come to the surface of the scalp and do not manifest themselves in any way, but are activated under stress;
- in a stressful situation, tubercles appear on the scalp, in which nits spontaneously germinate, from where lice then appear;
- lice multiply faster in a person who is nervous, so it is more difficult to remove them;
- In principle, lice and nits cannot be removed by any means; they may subside for a while and not cause itching, but at the slightest stress they manifest themselves again.
None of these versions has scientific confirmation. The connection between stress and the appearance of lice has not been identified.
Why head lice cannot appear due to stress
Can lice appear due to nervous conditions? Of course not. The mental and psychological state of a person and the life situations in which he finds himself are not the cause of parasite damage. Lice are parasites that enter the human body from another person. This is the only cause of head lice. You cannot catch lice from pets or get them in any other way.
If a person has lice, he got them in one of the following ways:
- with direct contact: lice can crawl from one head to another;
- when exchanging hats;
- when using combs and other hair accessories of an infected person;
- through clothing and personal belongings - this is how body lice are transmitted;
- through sexual contact - this is how they become infected with pubic lice.
You can pick up lice in public places - on seats and backrests, headrests in public transport, in beauty salons, in swimming pools and saunas. In any place where there may be people with lice, you can get these insects on your head. They are not afraid of water and can live in it for some time, so cases of lice infestation on beaches are not uncommon.
A louse can live outside the human body for up to two days. So even if you find yourself in a completely deserted space, this does not mean that you cannot become infected with lice. The insect can be on any surface from which a simple one will crawl or fall on you. But in any case, the parasite did not appear out of nowhere on its own. It came from an infected person. It did not spontaneously arise from the stress you are experiencing.
Why is the appearance of lice explained by nervous soil?
There is a sign that is equally characteristic of stress and head lice. It's an itch. With lice, the scalp itches unbearably. People also often scratch their heads when they are nervous. Therefore, an explanation emerged as to whether lice can appear from nervous stress. People believed that first they scratched their heads, and then lice appeared because of this. If this happened, it was a coincidence. Or the person actually caught lice, began to itch, became constantly nervous because of this, and eventually brought himself to a state of stress.
Do children get lice from stress?
Particular attention is paid to the appearance of lice in children. It is known that children are more likely to get lice, but this is only due to the fact that children are more often in groups, in close contact with other children during games and activities. They also love to exchange clothes. There are many more sources of infection in children's institutions. In addition, for unknown reasons, some parents believe that lice are a normal condition for children, that over time they simply outgrow the lice, and the parasites disappear on their own, just as they appeared. Because of this attitude in children's groups, it can sometimes be very difficult to remove lice. Children become infected with head lice again and again. But this does not mean that lice appear on a child’s head on their own or due to nervousness.
Possible diseases
Other skin diseases may appear on nervous disorders, but they are not related to lice.
- Psoriasis. Usually, due to the disease, intense itching occurs, as if a louse is biting. But the disease is of a different nature and can intensify during moments of nervous tension. Until diagnosis, the patient can confidently believe that these are lice.
- Dermatitis is a disease that often appears as a companion to a breakdown of the nervous system. But this process has absolutely nothing to do with parasitic phenomena.
- Scabies. Often this disease can be confused with pediculosis. To be able to make a diagnosis, you should consult a doctor. Often the disease occurs in the limbs and body.
In addition, irritated nerves can cause not only lice, but also other diseases. People suffer from many ailments related to this problem. Timely treatment of the disease will allow you to return to good health.
A person under stress is attractive to lice: is this true?
Contrary to popular belief, lice prefer to settle not on dirty, but on clean heads. Dead skin flakes, fat, and other secretions prevent insects from getting to blood, which is their only food product. So lice is not a disease of dirty people or people with reduced social responsibility. Anyone can get lice, regardless of their social status or hygiene habits.
However, when a person washes poorly or rarely, he acquires a specific smell. It does not wash away sweat, which also attracts parasites. In a stressful situation, this smell intensifies, even if a person maintains hygiene. A person who smells is more attractive to any parasite, including lice. Relatively speaking, if a louse chooses whom it wants to move to - someone who is clean and odorless, or someone under stress who “smells of adrenaline” - she will choose the second one.
In addition, a person scratches himself when stressed, but does not associate the itching with the appearance of lice. So he may miss the moment of infection. Very rarely, but this also happens: some people in a nervous state, on the contrary, become resistant to itching and ignore insect bites. They, too, may not notice the appearance of parasites in themselves.
All this leads to the fact that lice multiply, and a person notices this only when the situation becomes critical. In any case, the cause of lice is another person, not stress.
Question answer
Many people faced with lice infection ask questions:
- Is it true that stress contributes to the appearance of bloodsuckers? During times of severe psychological distress, the composition of a person's internal secretions changes, leaving them more susceptible to lice infestation as the heavy odor of sweat attracts the parasites.
- Is it possible to get lice if you swim at a city beach? The pubic louse has the ability to survive in standing water for up to 2 days. Swimming in standing water carries some risk of infection.
- How to protect yourself from lice infestation? To reduce the risk of lice, you must adhere to the following recommendations: try not to visit places with large crowds of people where there are unsanitary conditions, do not use personal items of strangers, do not give your own, lead a healthy lifestyle, which contributes to the good functioning of the immune system.
An attack on a person by blood-sucking insects always causes a negative reaction. This is a natural reaction, because parasites obsessively affect the general mental state, causing significant discomfort and pain. In addition, getting rid of them is not always quick and painless.
Therefore, to prevent infection with lice, it is recommended to follow simple rules of personal hygiene.
How to treat head lice under stress
Regardless of what the patient considers to be the cause of lice - stress or infection from another person, it is necessary to treat lice. If you don't do this, the consequences will be severe. A patient with lice scratches his scalp. It develops scratches and more serious wounds that can become infected. The infection will enter the blood. And a person under stress copes worse with illnesses.
You should not use folk remedies, as you need to be very careful to use them. It is difficult to do this in a nervous or depressed state. In addition, such products need to be used several times with a certain frequency. With nervous irritation, it is also difficult to monitor this.
It is better to use pharmacy or specialized insecticidal preparations. These can be shampoos, emulsions, sprays. They are easy to use. One or two applications are often enough. The presence of a stressful situation does not in any way affect the duration of treatment for head lice. It heals equally quickly in irritated or calm people. The treatment result is the same for everyone.
Many remedies are effective. For example, we can recommend products from MediLis: Permifen, Bio, Malathion, Super, Medilis-I. There are detailed instructions for each product. There are treatment options for children.
In addition to treating the head and personal belongings with pediculicides, a mechanical method of removing lice is recommended. After applying the product and leaving it for the specified time to kill lice, you need to comb your hair with a comb. This way you can get rid of dead insects and nits. In addition, such combing can be a very pleasant procedure for a person experiencing stress. It calms and has a beneficial effect on nerve endings. The main thing is not to injure scratches and scratches on the scalp if they appear due to lice. This simple method, together with the removal of blood-sucking parasites, can be the beginning of getting rid of a stressful situation and putting your nerves in order.
Treatment
Lice themselves cannot disappear either, but pests multiply quite quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment for pediculosis. The process of removing lice is quite troublesome. In the old days, kerosene was used to control lice. They treated the head of an infected person with it, after which they wrapped it in a bag for a while. Such a “bath” was destructive for parasites. The hair was washed with detergent and combed with a special comb.
Today, there are many anti-lice products that contain components that are poisonous to insects. They are practically harmless to humans.
Shampoos
Pediculicidal shampoos are in particular demand among consumers. The product is applied to the hair using massage movements. After 3-5 minutes, the hair is washed with running water using daily shampoo. Then the parasites are combed out using a special comb with thin and frequent teeth. However, it is not always possible to achieve a full effect after the first treatment. Among the anti-lice shampoos, the following stand out as effective:
- Veda;
- Hygia;
- Lavinal;
- Paranit;
- Knicks.
Sprays
Sprays are more effective in fighting parasites. One of these is Para Plus. The aerosol product contains permethrin, a toxic substance that is harmful to insects. The spray is sprayed along the entire length of the hair and left on the head for 10 minutes. After which the product is washed off with water using regular shampoo. A lice comb will help get rid of dead insects. The following compositions are also used:
- Nyuda;
- LiceGuard.
