Can lack of sleep make your hair fall out?

Have you ever had one too many all-nighters and noticed your hair starting to thin or fall out? It’s not just your imagination– lack of sleep can actually contribute to hair loss. In fact, there are a number of factors related to sleep deprivation that can lead to unwanted shedding.

The Science Behind It

First things first: let’s talk about why exactly lack of sleep can make your hair fall out in the first place. The short answer is that it all comes down to hormones – specifically, those pesky stress hormones like cortisol.

When you’re sleep-deprived, your body goes into overdrive trying to compensate for the lack of restful downtime it needs. This leads to increased production of cortisol, which we know is closely tied with stress levels.

Now here’s where things get hairy (pun intended) – high levels of cortisol have been shown in numerous studies to cause inflammation throughout the body. And as anyone with even a passing familiarity with basic health knows, inflammation has been linked time and again with chronic illness and disease symptoms.

All this inflammation isn’t great news for our scalp health either. When it happens on a local level around our follicles themselves, it can shrink them up and essentially cut off their supply line from our bloodstream – meaning less nourishment gets delivered overall.

Stressing Out Your Strands

Another way that ongoing lack of shut-eye can sabotage hair health is by dragging us down into an endless cycle.

Sleep deprivation almost always increases anxiety, often leading people into what I call “the spiral”. Poor sleeping habits or trouble sleeping at night create more anxiety about work performance or quality-of-life matters during daylight hours. Allowing yourself enough time each day for relaxed evenings devoted exclusively towards relaxation prior bedtime will help ease naturally any underlying tension–allowing minimal snorin’ without worry.

The use of hair products and tools can exacerbate the problem, making our hair weaker and more vulnerable to breaking in the long run.

But Wait, There’s More

If you think that’s all there is to it – well, you’re only scratching the surface.

Beyond cortisol-induced inflammation and anxiety cycles, lack of sleep also leads to a broad range of overall health problems which can further weaken your strands over time.

Here are just some examples:

• Reduced nutrient absorption: When we don’t get enough restful downtime at night, our digestion suffers as a result. This in turn means less effective processing of vital nutrients like iron and biotin.
• Suppressed immune function: Ongoing suboptimal sleep patterns have been linked with weakened immunity against physical stressors including injury or infections.
• Oxidative damage: Your body needs ample amounts of R&R each night in order to stave off oxidative stress – one potential cause for everything from brittle hair to chronic diseases such as cancer.

In short? Sleep deprivation isn’t doing your mane any favors, no matter how you slice it. From local scalp inflammation right down to systemic oxidative damage wrought by poor sleeping habits altogether; make sure you’re taking steps towards getting consistent quality shut-eye every day!

How You Can Fight Back

Now that we’ve gotten through the (somewhat depressing) science behind this issue – let’s move on to what you can actually DO about it! Here are some key strategies for prioritizing healthy beauty sleep moving forwards:

Prioritize Routine Bedtimes & Wake-Up Times

At least seven hours per night are recommended– but ideally once 7+ hours become routine bedtime status quo… To optimize good slumber seshes consistency is crucial! Enforcing regular bed / wake-up times (even on weekends!) will help train our bodies into knowing when “it’s sleepytime” so they start producing those the right chemical signaling ahead of time- and will ultimately lead to more restful nights in the long run.

Take Time To Relax 🙌

As we alluded to earlier, chronic anxiety can easily keep us up at night (and wreak havoc with our hair health as well). So make sure you’re carving out some downtime each day designed specifically for relaxation – this could mean anything from taking a bath before bed, doing a guided meditation session or yoga practice.

Virtually any activities that help calm your body down on a regular basis are going to be hugely beneficial in combating stress and cultivating healthy sleep hygiene overall.

Up Your Nutrition Game

Did you know that certain vitamins such as B-complexes play an integral role playing into one’s hair care regime? Specifically vitamin D3 helps support thicker strands while biotin & folate deficiency being linked with thinning particularly… Make sure to focus on optimizing your nutrient levels by eating nutrient dense meals throughout the day–you’ll not only be benefiting your mane but also keeping energy levels sky high throughout! Win win!

Avoid Harsh Hair Treatment Methods

Last but certainly not least: when it comes to styling choices, always try and err on conservative side. This might mean making fewer trips per week towards heated styling techniques or avoiding harsh chemicals / colors where possible (unless necessary).

When you do use heat tools – do so sparingly  + lower temperature settings add protective spray prior usage

And hey: if worst really does come-to-worst – there’s always wigs/extensions! No shame in utilizing today’s beauty tech; plus they make 0% mess/no commitment then boom back removal once fully rested life returns!

The Bottom Line?

While it may seem surprising to think that something as simple as lack of shut-eye could cause actual bouts of shedding regimens—trust us –it most unequivocally can contribute to hair loss! However, fight the good fight moving forwards, prioritize getting enough sleep and relaxing regularly (even with some scalp massage move sessions!) Keep your head temperature cool; meditate and / or taking up regular exercise. These healthy choices can have an undoubtedly positive impact on not just our strands but entire physical body as a whole!