HealthHealth Conditions

10 Reasons the Bottoms of Your Feet Are So Damn Itchy—and What to Do About It

Learn top reasons why you get a deep itch on the bottom of your foot, from rashes, to bug bites, and more, according to a dermatologist.

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Photo: Getty Images/Violeta Stoimenova
Published Jul 4, 2024

Written by 

Jaime Osnato

Few things are more frustrating than a nagging, deep itch on the bottom of your foot. Maybe the itchy, tingling sensation kicks up while you’re walking for long periods of time, while wearing tight socks, or as you’re drifting off to sleep at night. Usually, the cause of prickly feet is easy to pin down (and treat), but sometimes, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.

Experts in This Article

Lauren Eckert Ploch

board-certified dermatologist

Here, we spoke with Lauren Ploch, MD, MEd, a board-certified dermatologist in Georgia, to learn what causes that deep itch on the bottoms of your feet, and how to get relief—with natural remedies and doctor-approved meds.

10 causes of a deep itch on the bottom of your feet

1. Dry skin

Sometimes itchy feet are just from dry skin. It is one of the most common places to get dry skin, after all, per the Cleveland Clinic. When your skin lacks moisture, it can become scratchy. Other telltale signs include the following, per the Cleveland Clinic:

  • Rough patches of skin
  • Skin that’s scaly or flakes easily
  • Skin that cracks and/or bleeds
  • Skin that’s lighter or darker than your normal skin tone, or red to purple
  • Tight skin

How to treat it:

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. It will safeguard your skin’s barrier, keeping it soft and supple. Look for products with emollients (which soothe and hydrate the skin) and hyaluronic acid (which increases moisture in the skin), according to the Cleveland Clinic.

2. Athlete’s foot

Your itchy feet could be caused by fungi (unfortunate, but true). Athlete’s foot—also called tinea pedis—is a fungal infection that triggers an itchy, scaly rash. You can catch it by touching someone who has it, or by touching their belongings—like their socks, towels, or shoes. The fungus can also spread from your feet to other parts of your body.

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Other symptoms of athlete’s foot may include the following, according to the Mayo Clinic:

  • Scaly, peeling, or cracked skin between the toes
  • Inflamed skin that might appear reddish, purplish, or grayish, depending on your skin color
  • Burning or stinging
  • Blisters
  • Dry, scaly skin on the bottom of the foot that extends up the side

How to treat it:

Because athlete’s foot is contagious, you’ll want to nip it in the bud fast. Your dermatologist can treat it with an antifungal medication, says Dr. Ploch. There are some effective over-the-counter products for treatment available, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Just be sure to follow all the instructions carefully.

To avoid athlete’s foot in the future, keep your feet dry and cool. Fungi flourish in warm, humid conditions (like damp socks and tight-fitting shoes). Here are few tried-and-true tips to prevent tinea pedis, per the Mayo Clinic:

  • Let your feet air out: Wear sandals when you can, and opt for breathable shoes.
  • Wash your feet daily: Use warm, soapy water and rinse and dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes. Don’t forget to pat your feet dry after you bathe.
  • Apply a medicated foot powder: if you’re prone to athlete’s foot.
  • Change your socks at least once a day: And switch out of sweaty socks ASAP.
  • Select moisture-wicking socks: If you’re prone to sweaty feet, fabrics like cotton wick moisture to help keep them dry.
  • Use different shoes from day to day: This gives your shoes time to dry after each use. You can also invest in a couple pairs of breathable, lightweight running shoes to rotate.
  • Protect your feet in public places: Wear waterproof sandals or shoes around public pools, showers, and locker rooms.

3. Other skin infections

Other types of skin infections can lead to itchy feet, too. One of the most common? A bacterial skin infection called impetigo—which causes itchy sores and blisters. It typically happens when bacteria enter broken skin (like a cut, bite, or scratch), though you can become infected even if your skin isn’t broken or punctured, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Along with itchiness, other signs of impetigo may involve the following, per the Cleveland Clinic:

  • Pus-filled blisters that burst easily
  • A rash that causes red, raw skin
  • Skin lesions
  • Raw, shiny areas of skin that scab over with a yellowish-brown crust
  • Swollen lymph nodes

Impetigo usually affects children (and forms around the mouth area) but adults can get it, too (and on any body part, including the feet), per the Cleveland Clinic. And like athlete’s foot, impetigo is highly contagious. You can catch it through contact with an infected person or contaminated surfaces.

How to treat it:

To stop the spread of impetigo, go to your doctor ASAP. They’ll prescribe a topical antibiotic (or an oral one, depending on the severity of the rash). You should see an improvement in your symptoms within a couple days of taking the medication.

4. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Itchy feet? If you’re pregnant, you can chalk it up to another strange symptom. Several things can cause itching during pregnancy—one being intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, Dr. Ploch says. It’s a liver condition that triggers intense itching (usually in the hands and feet) without a rash. It typically happens in the third trimester, and the itch gets stronger at night, according to the Mayo Clinic. (We know, as if your growing belly, back pain, pregnancy indigestion weren’t causing enough sleepless nights.)

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Like most other pregnancy symptoms, hormones are to blame. “During pregnancy, hormones can slow down the biliary system,” i.e., the organs that make and store bile, Dr. Ploch says. When this happens, bile-related byproducts build up and enter the bloodstream, she says. And this leads to the intense itching.

Other less common symptoms of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy include the following, per the Mayo Clinic:

  • Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, called jaundice
  • Nausea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Oily, foul-smelling stools

How to treat it:

If you get extreme itchiness during pregnancy, tell your OB/GYN or midwife immediately. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy can cause potentially dangerous complications for you and your baby, so your provider will want to monitor you both carefully.

5. Contact dermatitis

If your feet are dry, itchy, and red, you could be dealing with contact dermatitis. This condition—which can occur anywhere on your body—happens when you come into contact with something (like an irritant or allergen) that triggers a skin reaction.

When your skin encounters an irritant or allergen, your immune system kicks into gear. The itchiness you feel is one sign that your white blood cells—i.e., your body’s defenders—are at work. “For example, some [white] blood cells (called eosinophils) in our body can increase a particular neuropeptide in peripheral neurons and, therefore, trigger itch,” Dr. Ploch says.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, contact dermatitis can also cause a rash that may be:

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  • Red, purple, or darker than your natural skin tone
  • Swollen, hive-like, or elevated from the skin surrounding it
  • Bumpy with a small cluster of pimples or blisters
  • Oozing fluid or pus
  • Painful with a burning or stinging sensation
  • Flaky or scaling

How to treat it:

The best way to reduce contact dermatitis is to avoid the thing that’s causing your skin reaction. The most common allergens that cause contact dermatitis include the following, per the Cleveland Clinic:

  • Plants or parts of a plant (botanicals), like poison ivy
  • Skin-care products with fragrances
  • Metals, such as nickel
  • Medications, including antibiotics
  • Preservatives or chemicals

The most common irritants that cause contact dermatitis include the following, per the Cleveland Clinic:

  • Acids
  • Cleaning products
  • Body fluids, including urine and saliva
  • Plants, like poinsettias and peppers
  • Hair dyes
  • Nail polish remover or other solvents
  • Paints and varnishes
  • Soaps or detergents
  • Resins, plastics, and epoxies

In the meantime, you can minimize your itchy, inflamed skin with over-the-counter (OTC) remedies like anti-itch creams, topical or oral antihistamines, and/or corticosteroid creams.

6. Other skin conditions

Itchy skin is a hallmark symptom of conditions like eczema and psoriasis, which can affect all different parts of your body—including the soles of your feet. Eczema weakens your skin’s barrier function and leads to itchy, dry, bumpy, or leathery patches of skin, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Psoriasis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune condition that can cause thick, scaly areas of skin (called plaques), pain, cracked or pitted nails, and even joint pain, per the Cleveland Clinic.

How to treat it:

If you have a mild case of eczema or psoriasis, moisturizers can help manage the itch. “The safest treatment for itch is a bland OTC moisturizing cream that has ceramide lipids,” Dr. Ploch says.

For severe cases, topical steroid creams may also be prescribed. “But there are several non-steroidal medications that are safer and more appropriate based on the underlying condition,” Dr. Ploch says. Talk with your dermatologist about your options.

And keep in mind: Dr. Ploch cautions against treating “itch with OTC corticosteroid creams, because this can worsen some conditions.”

7. Bug bites

Is there anything itchier than a fresh mosquito bite? (We’ll answer that for you: no.) If you were recently outside without shoes (especially in the summertime), it’s possible a mosquito made a meal of your exposed feet.

When mosquitoes (and other insects) bite you, they secrete saliva into your skin. This foreign substance activates your immune system, which processes the saliva as an allergen and releases chemicals like histamine, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Histamine is what causes the area to itch and swell.

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How to treat it:

For most bug bites, itching will begin to fade within 48 hours. In the meantime, resist the urge to scratch (we know, it’s really hard). But scratching just releases more histamine, making the bite even itchier, per Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Plus, you can break the skin if you scratch too hard, which can lead to possible infection.

Instead, minimize the itch with these tips from Columbia University Irving Medical Center:

  • Wash the site with soap and water. Or wipe with an antibacterial wipe or soap.
  • Apply an ice pack to the site for 10 minutes. Repeat as needed.
  • Take a (non-drowsy) antihistamine. Some examples include Zyrtec, Allegra, or Xyzal.
  • Use an OTC anti-itch or antihistamine cream: This could include hydrocortisone, or even a homemade baking soda paste.

Most bug bites don’t require a trip to the doctor, but if your bite doesn’t seem to be getting better after a day or so, or it appears to worsen, you may have had an allergic reaction or infection. Seek immediate medical care if you get the following symptoms, per Columbia University Irving Medical Center:

  • If you have reactions off-site (for instance, you were bitten on your foot, but your leg is swelling)
  • You have hives everywhere
  • You’re coughing, dizzy, nauseated, or vomiting
  • You have diarrhea or trouble breathing
  • You fainted immediately, or shortly after the bite or sting

8. Diabetes

At first glance, itchy feet and diabetes may not seem connected. But diabetes can affect many organs—your skin included.

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People with diabetes can get localized itching (especially in the lower limbs and feet) due to poor circulation, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Poor circulation happens when blood vessels become hard or narrow over time from high blood glucose levels. Diabetic polyneuropathy, a type of nerve damage, can also lead to feeling itchy, per an April 2021 review in the journal Advances in Dermatology and Allergology.

What’s more, folks with diabetes are also more prone to conditions that cause itch—like yeast infections (think: athlete’s foot) and dry skin, per the ADA.

How to treat it:

First and foremost, if you notice any changes in your feet, see your doctor. Left unchecked, diabetes can cause potentially life-threatening complications. Along with keeping your condition under control, the key to preventing itchy feet with diabetes is proper foot care. Try these simple strategies, per the ADA:

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    ‘It’s Amazing How It’s All Connected.’ Here’s How Trauma Can Affect Your Pelvic Floor

    Trauma and your pelvic floor are connected. Here's how trauma affects your pelvic floor, according to health experts.

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    Photo: Stocksy/Marija Savic
    Published Feb 2, 2025

    Written by 

    Heather Mayer Irvine

    Content warning: This story contains references to suicide and physical and emotional trauma, which may be upsetting or triggering for some readers.

    Experts in This Article

    Alexandra T. Milspaw

    an international consultant and educator for chronic pelvic and sexual pain

    Lauren Garges

    a women’s clinical specialist and the director of the pelvic health rehab program at St. Lukes University Health Network

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    The only thing that stopped Zoe* from taking her own life was the love she had for her two children. But the indescribable chronic pain she was experiencing was all-encompassing. And none of her doctors—nearly a dozen—knew what was wrong. Worse, perhaps, they wrote her off, condescended her, passed her around from physician to physician. “They washed their hands of me,” Zoe, now 48, tells Well+Good.

    After a year of medication and doctor visits and dismissed cries for help, for what was first suspected (never confirmed) to be a urinary tract infection that morphed into excruciating pelvic pain, Zoe found herself speaking with a pelvic floor physical therapist. She was diagnosed with a hypertonic—tight, overactive—pelvic floor. Now, the healing and treatment could begin.

    What is the pelvic floor?

    The pelvic floor is made of important muscles and tissues that hold pelvic organs, including the bladder, bowel, and uterus. Lauren Garges, PT, DPT, a women’s clinical specialist and the director of the pelvic health rehab program at St. Lukes University Health Network, likens the pelvic floor to a hammock of muscles. And, like the muscles in your neck, legs, or back, they can be too weak or too tight. But when a person experiences trauma, acute or over an extended period of time, it can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, explains Garges.

    Pelvic floor dysfunction is an umbrella term that refers to a host of issues, including urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse, constipation, and urinary frequency and urgency, Garges says. If left untreated, pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to chronic conditions, including back and hip pain. It can be hard to diagnose at this point because the root of the problem, in the pelvic floor, presents itself in the hip and back.

    How trauma can affect the pelvic floor

    Not only does the pelvic floor hold numerous organs, but it’s also where the vagal nerves are rooted. These nerves are part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls digestion, heart rate, and immune system, explains Alexandra T. Milspaw, PhD, an international consultant and educator for chronic pelvic and sexual pain.

    The human fight-or-flight response to stress is linked to the autonomic nervous system, which means it’s impossible for a person to experience fight-or-flight without the pelvic floor tightening, Milspaw says.

    Garges, who frequently refers her physical therapy clients to mental health professionals, says that trauma is incredibly individualized and subjective. Giving birth, for example, falls into the realm of trauma.

    “Birth trauma would be the physical things that need to heal—torn muscles, stitches, nerve damage,” Garges says. “Some people recover quickly, in three to six months, but for others, it can persist for much longer, and that’s when you should see someone who can treat it.” Birth trauma can also be emotional, if, say, a woman’s healthcare team didn’t listen to her wishes, or the labor and delivery were traumatic.

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    Garges also treats patients who have suffered from sexual assault or abuse, and she describes vaginismus, a type of dysfunction, as a protective mechanism—the body is literally closing itself off. (This can happen after other forms of trauma, too.)

    But not all trauma, Garges explains, has to be physical for the pelvic floor to experience distress. “Emotional trauma presents physically in the body, tightness in the muscles,” she says, reiterating that the pelvic floor is made up of muscles. Someone who’s stressed or anxious might have tension in their shoulders and neck, others in their pelvic floor muscles.

    Physical tension and stress create a cycle of inflammation that isn’t typically visible on imaging or through bloodwork, Milspaw says, which can make diagnosing these complaints and concerns incredibly challenging. “Anxiety or stress or a head injury can lead to a tight pelvic floor, which can cause [gastrointestinal] upset, which creates inflammation, which can be felt in the brain, and then we’re trapped in this cycle until we can turn off the switch at both ends at the same time,” Milspaw explains.

    Eventually, Zoe started working with a pelvic floor physical therapist, who told her, “Your brain has learned this pattern [of pain],” Zoe recalls. “It goes far beyond the acute symptoms, which have resolved. Now your neurons are remembering this pain pattern.”

    So in addition to pelvic floor physical therapy, which includes manual therapy, exercises, and breathing techniques, Zoe started seeing Milspaw for counseling. She says although she was surprised at the connection between mental health and pelvic floor dysfunction, “ultimately it made sense. If your nervous system is in constant fight-or-flight mode, it’s bound to have physical effects.”

    What happens if trauma goes unchecked

    The body is designed to protect itself, sometimes at all costs. This became apparent to Dianna B., 55, when she found herself begrudgingly speaking to a therapist at the request of her husband who was seeing a sex therapist. The couple, who had four children, had stopped having sex when Dianna was 43 and her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

    On top of that, Dianna had a traumatic second birth, one that required 75 internal stitches. For years, she experienced unidentified pain near her where her stitches had been and bathroom accidents—bowel movement and incontinence. She was sure she had an anal fissure (tests showed she didn’t). “I sat there crossing my arms, saying, ‘I don’t have a mental health issue. I have a physical issue,” Dianna recalls.

    Eventually, Dianna started to open up. She recalled being held down by her legs when she was 10 years old while doctors took bone marrow from her hips to give to her older sister who had leukemia. “She was going to die unless she got a bone marrow transplant,” Dianna tells Well+Good. “I was her donor.”

    These repressed memories, Dianna says, came flooding back during therapy, and she started to see the correlation: She held trauma in her legs from her childhood and was retraumatized during her second delivery as an adult. “It’s amazing how it’s all connected.”

    Milspaw, who has been working with Dianna for years, explains that if a person experiences intense stress, anxiety, or depression for a period of just 10 days, the hardware of the brain starts to change. For example, a 2021 study1 published in Translational Psychiatry, found that trauma exposure during childhood could contribute to structural changes in the developing brain. “It can shrink and deteriorate,” Milspaw says. “This hardware is specifically related to emotional regulation, memory, executive function, and communication.”

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    Milspaw says this trauma is cumulative, that “the body keeps score.” She explains that people assume if there is pelvic or sexual pain, it has to be related to sex-related trauma, but that’s just not true. “People forget the nervous system is one whole system,” she says. “The pelvis is the center of the wheel.”

    “People forget the nervous system is one whole system. The pelvis is the center of the wheel.” —Alexandra T. Milspaw, PhD

    What to do if you have trauma that’s affected your pelvic floor

    Once people know where to turn, trauma to your pelvic floor is treatable. But there are more than a few barriers to treatment, Milspaw says. “People don’t want to touch pelvic pain with a 10-foot pole,” she says. “There is a lot going on in the pelvis, and no one wants to be responsible for it.” The example she gives is the reality Zoe faced: See a gynecologist who sends you to a urologist, who passes you to a gastroenterologist, who kicks you back to a urologist.

    Part of this problem, Milspaw says, is that most healthcare professionals are not trained in pelvic health. Another part of the problem is the taboo around sexual health and pelvic pain. People, especially women, do not want to discuss their concerns—Zoe and Dianna are examples of how even when they did try to seek help, they were treated like petulant children with no obvious illness or problem. “The shame piece is huge,” Milspaw says. “You can’t talk about how your vagina hurts as easily as you can talk about how your head hurts.”

    Some women think what they’re experiencing is normal because they don’t know anything else. Milspaw gives an example of a high school girl who had incredibly heavy periods—soaking through five pads an hour. She was told, “It’s your period. Get over it.”

    Savannah T., 25, suspected what she was experiencing was not normal. She was diagnosed with endometriosis in her late teens and has been through a pharmacy full of medications to manage her symptoms, including debilitating pain. Savannah, a nurse, slipped into a deep depression in 2021 because of her worsening health and working in the COVID-19 intensive care unit. She had to take a leave of absence.

    She searched for a pelvic floor physical therapist—something not many people know to do. “My pelvic floor physical therapist educated me on what the floor is and what it does. She validated all of the symptoms I was having,” Savannah tells Well+Good.

    Pelvic floor physical therapists provide treatment that can be a mix of exercises, stretches, breathing techniques, and manual tissue release. “When it comes to manual therapy, we have to be mindful of that trauma and maintain an alliance with the patient,” Garges says, noting that a physical therapist will follow a patient’s lead, and hands-on work might not happen for weeks or months.

    Garges will prescribe yoga stretches that focus on the lower back to relieve tension, and pelvic exercises like lunges, squats, and hip work. Garges and Milspaw guide their patients through breathing techniques as well.

    Milspaw teaches her clients a variety of tools, including emotional freedom techniques—a type of tapping that can assist with anxiety relief—bilateral stimulation music2 to help balance brain activity between the two hemispheres, and pendulation, which can help regulate the nervous system by alternating, or pendulating, between feelings of safety and discomfort.

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    Once Milspaw establishes balance and a feeling of safety in her clients, then more traditional forms of therapy, including talk therapy, she says, are more effective.

    Savannah didn’t realize how much her depression, stress, and anxiety connected straight to her pelvic floor. Whenever she had feelings of distress, they could be directly correlated to an increase in her pelvic symptoms. “With the combination of pelvic floor physical therapy and working with Dr. Milspaw, I’ve seen a huge difference,” Savannah says. She still takes medications for her endometriosis, but she knows what her life looks like without her physical and mental therapies. It’s dark.

    There are brighter days ahead for Savannah, Zoe, and Dianna. They encourage others to advocate for themselves, even if a doctor—or doctors—is dismissive. They knew something wasn’t right and wouldn’t quit until someone took them seriously. “It’s been a journey,” Zoe says. “I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve rebuilt myself from the ground up, from the floor up.”

    Dianna, who resented her husband for insisting she see a therapist because they weren’t having sex, now says it was the best gift he could have given her. They’re not quite on the same page yet, but Dianna says there’s hope. “That’s what I’m striving for.”

    *Names have been changed, where indicated, to protect privacy.

    1. Jeong, H.J., Durham, E.L., Moore, T.M. et al. The association between latent trauma and brain structure in children. Transl Psychiatry 11, 240 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01357-z

      ↩︎

    2. Amano T, Toichi M. The Role of Alternating Bilateral Stimulation in Establishing Positive Cognition in EMDR Therapy: A Multi-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. PLoS One. 2016 Oct 12;11(10):e0162735. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162735. PMID: 27732592; PMCID: PMC5061320.

      ↩︎

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    How a Yoga Practice Helped Me Navigate My Relationship With Alcohol During Dry January

    Read one writer's experience with how yoga helped them navigate their relationship with alcohol during Dry January.

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    Photo: Stocksy/Jayme Burrows
    Published Jan 31, 2025

    Written by 

    Colleen McNally Arnett

    Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission

    Whether unwinding after a long day with a cocktail, toasting a celebratory moment with bubbly, or sharing a bottle with friends over dinner, alcoholic beverages—when enjoyed responsibly in moderation—have long been a one of my favorite rituals for bringing people together and feeling present in the moment.

    Experts in This Article

    Courtney Scott

    medical director of Momentous Recovery Group

    Rosalie Kennedy

    a yoga instructor and director of marketing at Athletic Brewing Company

    Rostislav Ignatov

    chief medical officer at The Haven Detox and a board-certified expert in general psychiatry and addiction medicine

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    But the soaring popularity of the sober-curious movement in the past decade, however, has led more people—myself included—to reevaluate the role alcohol plays in our lives and our health.

    Trends like Dry January encourage people to reimagine how they drink and navigate their social lives. And with new health guidelines in the U.S. warning that even moderate alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancer, staying dry—or at least damp—beyond January is becoming increasingly common.

    Still, like breaking any habit, going dry can be challenging at first. Even with the rise of delicious, zero-proof beverages becoming more easily available, cutting back on up booze requires strong mental stamina, clear intention setting, and a community support system.

    Enter: yoga. While the Western world most commonly associates yoga with exercise, the ancient practice is so much more than physical postures. As the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health teaches, in accordance with the Bhagavad Gita, “yoga is skillfulness in action—a reference to a yogi’s capacity to act dynamically in ways that reliably produce positive life results.” Another definition drawn from the Yoga Sutra teaches that “yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, a reference to a yogi’s capacity to see life and reality as it is, without the filters of fears, fantasies or other distortions.”

    Considering alcohol can color our reality, a yoga practice can be a helpful tool for those learning to navigate a sober-curious life.

    The benefits of taking a break from alcohol (during any time of the year)

    “Alcohol is a depressant, and even moderate drinking can contribute to anxiety, low mood, or mental fog,” says Rostislav Ignatov, MD, chief medical officer at The Haven Detox and a board-certified expert in general psychiatry and addiction medicine. “When you stop drinking, your brain starts to balance itself, and many people feel more focused, emotionally stable, and even happier. It’s like lifting a weight off your shoulders.”

    According to Dr. Ignatov, one of the first things many people notice when taking a break from alcohol is better sleep. “Alcohol might help you fall asleep, but it actually disrupts deep, restful sleep, leaving you tired the next day,” he explains. “Without it, your sleep cycles improve, and you wake up feeling more refreshed and energized.”

    Physically, you’ll likely see changes over time, too. “Your liver gets a much-needed break, which can lower inflammation and help your body work more efficiently,” Dr. Ignatov adds. “People often notice reduced bloating, better digestion, and even healthier skin. If you’ve been dealing with high blood pressure or sluggish energy levels, you might see improvements there as well.”

    How a yoga practice can help you navigate your relationship with alcohol

    For Rosalie Kennedy, a yoga instructor and director of marketing at Athletic Brewing Company, a non-alcoholic beer company, opting for a non-alcoholic beer instead of booze allows her to be social and enjoy whatever the occasion might be without the typical next-day pitfalls of alcohol consumption. “I can give 100 percent to the next activity whether that’s yoga, work, or taking care of my family,” says Kennedy.

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    After casually practicing yoga for 15 years, Kennedy opted to pursue her 200-RYT certification in 2023. As a result, she says she has not only elevated her understanding of her body and mental health, but has improved her overall quality of life. “Now, I can bring that mindfulness into other facets of my life, like alcohol consumption,” Kennedy says. “I’ve noticed that I’m more aware of how my body reacts to alcohol, how I’m enjoying the taste, or whether I even want to consume alcohol at a given moment.”

    On a biological level, one of the best things yoga does is reduce stress, which in turn, can reduce the likelihood of wanting to drink alcohol. “Yoga relaxes the nervous system and lowers cortisol—the stress hormone,” says Courtney Scott, MD, medical director of Momentous Recovery Group.

    Dr. Scott points out that when we’re less stressed, we’re less likely to rely on alcoholic substances as coping mechanisms for life challenges. “Cravings often come when you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, and yoga helps calm your mind and body,” Dr. Ignatov adds. By focusing on your breath and movement, you can activate your body’s parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)— also known as the body’s relaxation response—a network of nerves that helps the body relax and digest food. Simply put, this state makes it easier to handle stress without reaching for a drink.

    “Yoga also teaches mindfulness, which is all about staying present in the moment,” says Dr. Ignatov “When a craving shows up, yoga helps you pause and acknowledge it without reacting right away. That moment of pause can be all you need to choose a healthier way to cope, like taking a walk or calling a friend.”

    A yoga practice helps individuals to understand themselves better physically and emotionally, explains Dr. Scott. “This enables them to be mindful about what triggers their emotions hence evading an urge for alcohol.” From my own personal experience, I know that if I have more than a couple of drinks in the evening, I will feel the effects when I show up on my yoga mat the next day.

    The bottom line

    For those who are re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol and are interested in deepening their yoga practice, Kennedy advises to focus on what makes you feel good.

    “Yoga is for you, not anyone else,” Kennedy says. “You’re always allowed to modify a posture to suit your preferences, and alcohol consumption should be no different. I recommend checking in with yourself during a night out or a social occasion where alcohol might be involved. Ask yourself, ‘Does this feel good?’ If not, what adjustments do you want to make in the moment?”

    Reaping the benefits of yoga, however, will require a consistent practice. “Whatever chemicals make you feel good, such as endorphins, will naturally rise when you become used to practicing yoga every day, which provides a safe, alternative mood-booster compared to a temporary alcohol high,” says Dr. Scott. “Consistent training brings about an enduring feeling of joy and stability in one’s life.”

    If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to FindTreatment.gov for resources and treatment options.

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    14 Things to Do in Your 50s if You’re Worried About Your Dementia Risk

    A neuroscientist shares her top noggin-protecting tips.

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    Health

    This 1 Gut Health Issue Causes Diarrhea and Constipation…at the Same Time

    Here's how experts treat it—especially if you already have tummy troubles.

    Feb 12
    close up image of person sitting on the toilet with red underwear around their legs while holding a roll of toilet paper wondering whether they have overflow diarrhea
    Shopping
    Lifestyle

    Presidents’ Day Mattress Sales Are Already Here—Here Are the Best Deals You Should Snag Before Everyone Else Does

    Sweet dreams are made of these Presidents' Day mattress sales—shop the best mattress deals that are simply too good to sleep on.

    by Alexa Casanova
    on Feb 14
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    byQVC

    This Parisian Skincare Brand Is Launching in the United States for the First Time—Here’s What a Derm Wants You to Know

    by Maeve McCormick
    on Feb 12
    Black hair woman wearing a grey and white bra giving herself a deep cleansing session with a face brush and Gatineau skincare face wash lotion, after her shower. Studio skincare portrait over isolated background.
    Astrology

    Your Daily Horoscope for February 13, 2025

    What can you expect today? Discover your zodiac sign's daily horoscope from Well+Good's expert astrologer Stefanie Iris Weiss.

    by Stefanie Iris Weiss
    on Feb 12
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