Hair loss can occur as a result of many imbalances in the body, but can hair loss be effected by loss of sleep or insomnia? The answer to this question is YES. Usually a significant lack of sleep or chronic restless sleep will affect hair loss.
Why does loss of hair occur with loss of sleep?
When the you sleep, the body refreshes and replenishes it self with the essential rest it needs. This of course helps with balancing out your hormones and metabolic system, especially your cortisol or stress system, which follows a circadian rhythm – meaning its high in the morning and low in the evening. If you suffer from insomnia or chronic lack of sleep or are suffering loss of sleep, your body’s natural system of balance get “out of balance” which will then affect various aspects of your health, including loss of hair and general luster in skin. Generally lack / loss of sleep occurs due to various reasons, stress being a big factor, and stress is a big cause of hair loss as well. Generally, you will notice an increase in hair loss when you wash your hair, or brush it, and some people notice hair strands on their pillows or bed on waking.
What can I do to reverse it?
As a naturopathic doctor, my recommendations are as follows:
1. Talk to your naturopathic doctor about your hair loss and loss of sleep. They will be able to identify the root cause of the problem and help you treat it naturally.
2. Try to identify any lack of minerals and vitamins that may also be affecting both your hair loss and insomnia or lack of sleep – Your naturopathic doctor should be able to do the necessary tests to help you with this.
3. If its stress that is keeping you awake, join our stress management program to handle your stress better or find strategies to cope better with your stress.
4. Get onto a really good schedule with regards to your sleep. Acupuncture and certain supplements are great to restore sleep to bring back the body to balance.
5. Trace back your steps to identify what came first – hair loss or loss of sleep? Improving your diet in either case will help tremendously, especially cutting back on the caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor at the Natures Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.