Can Stress Cause Hair Thinning?  

Stress and hair loss are two conditions that are so commonly seen around the world that it’s hard to believe how little most people know about how they are connected. Interestingly enough, many people with stress-related hair loss complain that their hair thinning is caused by some kind of skin condition, but you would be surprised to find out that it’s only stress that can cause hair thinning in this manner.

The stress hormone called cortisol is a chemical that is released in response to situations of extreme stress. Cortisol works by opening up blood vessels in the body, especially those in the scalp. This allows nutrients and oxygen to reach the follicles of hair and repair damage. But, the effect of stress on hair is that when your body experiences constant stress, it will continue to release cortisol to such an extent that all the nutrients and oxygen that reaches your scalp will get used up by the process of opening the blood vessels.

Apart from extreme stress, the most common reason for hair loss can be a decrease in the number of active cells in the hair follicles. If there are fewer cells, then it is harder for your body to make new hair. When there is a lot of stress on your body, your immune system tends to work harder, resulting in less energy and fewer resources left over to be used for growing hair.

Signs of Hair Loss from Stress

Hair fall caused by stress can be identified by closely examining the number of hair strands that you are losing each day. Losing 100 hair strands every day is considered to be normal but if you are losing more than 100 hair strands or if you experience chunks of hair falling from your scalp, it is a sure shot sign of extreme hair loss. You may notice hair thinning on the scalp if you are suffering from telogen effluvium and if you get hold of patches of your hair strands, it might be due to alopecia. 

Telogen effluvium usually occurs after going through a stressful phase or situation. Telogen effluvium is completely different from alopecia and can be easily reversed with the help of hair fall stress treatments.

How to Control Stress Hair Loss?

Stress is a state of mind which everyone experiences to a certain degree. It is often an indicator that something bigger is wrong in our lives. However, if we can learn to manage it, stress can be good for us, driving us to achieve more and being a positive force in our lives.

Nowadays, people everywhere are experiencing stress more than ever before. It's hard to escape the fact that stress can cause hair loss and the causes of which are both internal and external. That is why it is important that we as individuals learn to deal with it effectively. But how?

To deal with stress, there are many ways to manage it. Let's take a look at some of them:

Stay physically active: Studies have shown that physical activity helps reduce stress by increasing blood flow and the release of endorphins. These chemicals help reduce pain, boost mood and improve sleep quality. Exercise also helps keep you focused and alert throughout the day and takes your mind off any worries you may have.

A person who undergoes extreme stress has a tendency to get disoriented, lost and may also get sick. While some people are in a position to manage the stress on their own, most people need professional help to cope with it.

A small percentage of people go into a shock and may even experience a heart attack or high blood pressure, frequently leading to death. If left untreated, extreme stress can result in memory loss, sleep disorder, mood swings, fatigue, and social withdrawal.

Various techniques like meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises and counseling can be used as natural remedies to reduce stress levels. And as a last resort, your doctor will recommend medicines to treat the condition.

Take part in meditation: Meditation is not a new method at all. The only difference is that it has found its way into the mainstream of medical studies and now there is overwhelming evidence that it can work well for you to relieve stress and stay fit.

So, what exactly is meditation?

Meditation is a way of thinking and feeling in which you actively focus attention on your thoughts and feelings so that you can better understand yourself and your reactions to certain things. It is about being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. It can help you be more aware of how your body reacts to stressful events and situations.

Hair loss medicine: Alternatively, you can also opt for topical medications like Minoxidil, which helps in reversing hair loss and is one of the most effective hair loss stress treatments for people suffering from stress hair fall, male pattern baldness, and other hair loss related issues.

Take Away

Hair fall due to tension or extreme stress is a common occurrence for many. The body reacts to stress by producing the hormone cortisol. Cortisol stimulates the growth of fine hair and slows the growth of thick, long hair. Thus, the body adapts to stress by switching its natural texture away from thicker, longer tresses and towards shorter, finer tresses to conserve energy in stressful situations where immediate action may be required. This hair loss caused by stress is usually temporary. Hair will typically grow back when the stressor has passed.