Dr. Ahmed Mostaque
Sleep is essential for your health & well-being. It is a way to relax from all the earthly stress and start fresh. In fact, sleep is as important as eating healthy and working out.
Lack of sleep can have severe health issues. A change in your everyday sleep pattern will make your feel exhausted. Furthermore, lack of sleep can negatively affect your immune system and make you prone to disease. It also affects your mental health by increasing your stress level.
Without proper sleep, our brain function decreases and impairs our abilities to think properly concentrate, and process memories.
A recent study done by the CDC shows that 1 in 3 Americans are suffering from sleep deprivation.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society suggest that adults between the age of 18–60 should sleep at least 7 hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being.
Adults with inadequate sleep suffer from 10 chronic health conditions which include heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes.
Nowadays, getting enough sleep has become impossibly difficult. We are focused on so many things that we don’t consider sleep a priority.
Sleep deprivation is not just affecting your health, it is also affecting your looks. Did you know that changing your sleeping pattern and not getting enough sleep can cause hair fall?
How Sleep Affects The Health Of Your Hair
A good night’s sleep is necessary to regenerate, repair, and rebalance your hormones. Sleep is a stress reliever that gives you a fresh start and helps you to concentrate on your daily activities.
Staying up all night can have serious health issues and make you look tired and dull. Insufficient sleep can also have a negative effect on your hair. A good night’s sleep is required for the protein synthesis of your hair. It also releases the enzymes and growth hormones that are necessary for overall hair health.
Lack of sleep can reduce normal cellular functioning, may result in conditions of hair loss or thinning hair as well.
Knowing how sleep affects your body’s natural hormones can help you prevent hair loss. Melatonin is a hormone that maintains your sleep cycle. It also stimulates hair growth and keeps your hair healthy
Darkness causes your body to produce more melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep, and light decreases melatonin production. If your body decreases in its melatonin levels, it can result in hair loss.
Your body goes through numerous cycles during sleep, which promote the stem cell activity that generates epithelial cells for hair growth.
When you are stressed it can have a negative impact on the skin and its capacity to function appropriately which can directly impact the hair follicle.
This is when stress pushes the hair follicle into a premature “Telogen” (resting state). This is then followed by a premature “Exogen” (shedding phase).
Insufficient sleep can also decrease your testosterone level which is responsible for hair growth & nourishment.
How To Maintain Hair Health
A change in your diet, lifestyle, and proper hair care can help you prevent hair loss.
Maintain a balanced diet with more protein
Our hair is largely made of protein. You should have a proper amount of healthy protein intake to keep your hair healthy. Add more protein & vitamins to your diet to promote new hair growth & help hair follicles that stopped growing become active again.
Here are some foods that you can eat to boost hair growth:
- Fatty fish
- Cod liver oil
- Mushrooms
- Fortified plant-based milk
- Fruits with vitamin c
You can also take biotin supplements that can promote hair growth.
Learn To Destress
Stress is one of the primary reasons for hair loss. It is important to maintain your stress. Sleep is the most effective stress reliever. You can also try yoga, meditation, breathing techniques that may help reduce your stress. Destressing can not only help you prevent hair loss, but it can also have a positive impact on your overall health.
Sleep Properly To Prevent Hair Loss
Here are some proper sleeping techniques that will help you have a good night’s sleep.
- Make the room as dark as possible
- Avoid using your phone before going to bed
- Decrease your room temperature
- Make yourself cozy and comfortable
- Avoid coffee or tea before sleeping
- Stick to your sleeping routine
- Add white noise to sleep better
- Sleep at least 8 hours a day
