How Lack of Sleep Can Lead to Increased Hair Loss

Many reasons contribute to hair loss. Genetics, lifestyle, medical conditions, and stress are some of the major causes of hair loss.

There is another reason that most of us are not aware of - sleep deprivation.

Many of us don’t know whether we are getting enough sleep or not. We lead a hectic life nowadays. Most of the time we are busy in the office handling our job and keeping our commitments. Social media also takes a lot of time. Commuting has become a big problem in cities. Corporate job holders are too busy adhering to deadlines and getting ahead in the competition.

As we juggle with different tasks at hand and try to keep up with the pace of life, our health takes the toll. We become sleep deprived which creates a chain of adverse reactions in our body, hair loss being one of them.

How Sleep Deprivation Leads to Hair Loss

Sleep deprivation leads to an increased level of stress. It affects the levels of hormones in the body. When you sleep, your body repairs itself. It replenishes the energy and boosts the immune system. If you are sleeping inadequately or not following the normal sleep pattern, the system of the body goes disarray. The body cannot absorb nutrients it requires and slowly goes weak. This affects different organs as well as hair growth.

When we sleep and go through the normal sleep cycles, our body produces Human Growth Hormone or HGH. If your sleep is irregular, interrupted, or inadequate, the body will not be able to produce HGH in the required amount which can cause several health issues like thinning of hair.

Another side effect of sleep deprivation is increase in stress level which results in a chain of medical conditions. Telogen effluvium is a condition in which a person loses hair in large quantities and stress is the root cause of it.

So, if you are suffering from hair loss, analyze your lifestyle and find out if you are sleep deprived. Understand the implications of sleep deficiency and look for ways to get more sleep.

How to Cope with Sleep Deprivation

The following a list of things you can do to prevent sleep deprivation.

• Develop good habits like eating early and going to bed at a fixed time.
• Don’t use your mobile phone, laptop or watch television just before going to bed because the blue light it transmits from the screen prevents our body's triggers to prepare for sleep.
• Restrict the consumption of tea and coffee due to the caffeine. 
• Limit alcohol intake. It's not a substitute to become drowsy and aide in sleep but it disrupts our body's normal sleep patterns while we sleep.
• Try to eat light food at dinner that is easy to digest.
• Keep your bedroom dark at night, cool and quiet. Ideal temperate is about 70 degrees.
• Reading a book a few minutes before bed is an excellent way to help prepare for sleep. It relaxes the mind, takes your mind off your daily stressors and doesn't emit any blue light. 

If you follow this routine for a few days, your body will adapt to the pattern and you will get adequate sleep. Other lifestyle changes include regular exercise, an improved diet and meditation and other ideas you may have to help reduce the stress in your life and keep the hair you have.