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Did you know that the average person has to endure the urge to scratch themselves at least a dozen times each day? The causes range from allergy, dryness of skin, and even some diseases.

Insect bites are, of course, one of the most common causes. When a mosquito bites you, it releases an anticoagulant into your body that prevents your blood from clotting. Humans are slightly allergic to this substance, and it releases histamine, which makes our capillaries swell.

This eventually leads to an increase in the body’s blood flow and its immune response being accelerated due to this perceived threat. This is why you see the swelling on your skin, and also why pollen can make your eyes puff up.

More importantly, histamine is responsible for activating the nerves that are associated with itching. Now you know why awful bug bites make you want to scratch so hard every time.

Interestingly though, we haven’t decoded itching and the sensation completely. A lot of what we do know comes from studying mice and their itching habits. For us, when we scratch, the action of our fingernails on skin causes a low level pain signal. This, it turns out, overrides the itching sensation itself and acts as some kind of relief because it distracts us.