Many women start experience thinning hair as they age, whether its breakage near the ends, thinning at the scalp or simply finding more hair in your brush than usual. While there are many reasons your hair may start to thin, sometimes something as simple as a lifestyle change can slow down hair loss.
And according to experts, the way you sleep at night can affect hair loss. There is actually a really common yet unexpected sleeping mistake that can make your hair thin.
“Believe it or not, sleep can affect your hair health,” Dr. Rae Lynne Kinler, M.D explained to SheFinds. “Sleep deprivation is a form of stress and stress is known to influence hair loss. Sleep deprivation can cause temporary hair loss conditions such as telogen effluvium, and can also exacerbate hereditary hair loss in both men and women.”
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Dr. Kinler told us, "Telogen effluvium is when stress forces the hair follicle into a premature “resting state,” which is then followed by a premature "shedding phase." The bad news is prolonged sleep deprivation may cause chronic telogen effluvium, where your hair continues shedding for a prolonged period of time. The good news is that once you sleep well again and get your stress under control, typical hair growth will resume. However, you may have to wait up to six months to notice the complete regrowth. Unfortunately, with genetic hair loss the thinning will continue even after you’ve solved your sleeping problem."
"Sleep plays an important role in the protein synthesis of your hair, as well as the adequate release of growth hormones in your body. When you get adequate sleep, your body is regenerating itself and creating new cells, which are essential to hair growth and can be immensely inhibited by sleep deprivation. If you want to keep a good head of hair, you'll have to ensure you get a quality night's sleep. The stress from not getting enough rest can affect your body’s ability to function at its optimal level and as result the normal hair growth cycle may be impacted negatively."
Dr. Catherine Chang, Plastic Surgeon at Cassileth Plastic Surgery, agreed. She told SheFinds, “Sleep deprivation can affect hormones that contribute to hair growth. Not getting enough sleep can cause thinning of the hair and decreased hair growth.”
Plus, Dr. Chang warns that the way you treat your hair at night may also cause your hair to thin. While many of us prefer to tie our hair back at night to keep it out of our faces while we sleep, this is actually a big mistake. It might be better for our skin, but it is damaging to your hair.
“Sleeping in a tight ponytail or bun can also put strain on the hair follicles resulting in hair loss. The technical term is called traction alopecia,” Dr. Chang explained.
