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Obviously, itchiness can cause sleep deprivation to human as shown in many clinical cases. But I want to know if a sleep deprivation can cause itchiness or at least confuse our brain of spotting itchy area.
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I asked my biology teacher which part of our brain takes change of itchiness. She supposed that the cerebral cortex will do it because it processes tactile sensations.
Experimental sleep deprivation has been shown to cause psychotic symptomatology. Although not explicitly mentioned, one might suppose that itching might develop as a psychotic symptom but other than supposition it is hard to imagine any other mechanism as to why sleep deprivation might cause pain, of which itching is one form of.
The recognised causes of nocturnal pruritus include
Dermatological
Non-Dermatological
Hematopoietic disorders
Neurological (e.g., brachioradial pruritus)
Psychological (delusional ideations, depression, schizophrenia, stress)
Substance abuse
Advanced age (senile) pruritus
Restless legs syndrome
