Hair loss can be caused by many factors ranging from temporary stress to your genetic makeup. Your overall health and wellness actually has a close relationship with your hair growth, meaning if you are experiencing a noticeable increase in shedding, your hair is likely telling you something about your health and your body in general.
To understand the connection between health and hair loss, you should know how much hair loss is natural and why it might be occurring. This will allow you to rule out the natural and non-threatening causes of loss.
Understanding Hair Loss
Hair growth has a natural cycle which has four stages: (1) the anagen phase, the period of growth, (2) the catagen phase which is the transitional phase as the hair prepares itself, (3) the telogen phase, in which the hair rests and stays the same, and finally (4) the exogen phase, in which new hairs are produced.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that all the hairs on your head and on your body are at different stages in the cycle. If you notice excessive shedding (hair loss that occurs in the exogen phase), it is likely that the follicles have been pushed into the telogen phase, perhaps because of hormonal influxes such as pregnancy or a chemical imbalance, such as a side effect of a temporary medication.
This kind of hair loss is not likely to have a permanent effect on your appearance, as it is likely to grow back just as it was before. If this is the case, it is unnecessary to seek treatments such as hair transplant. These procedures are best performed once hair loss is stabilised and is a lifelong solution for permanent hair loss. There are natural ways you can boost your hair growth while improving your overall health:
Sleep And Stress
Stress is actually one of the most acute causes of hair loss. This can vary in severity, ranging from chronic alopecia areata to a reduced elasticity in the hair follicles, wherein the cells are not producing the correct amount of proteins and hormones that are produced during sleep, and are thus unable to regrow.
Stress and sleep are interlinked. Without sleep, your hair is unable to grow because the cells do not have the nutrients they need to thrive. On the other hand, stress makes it harder for most people to get the sleep they need.
If you are experiencing hair loss and believe stress is the reason for it, the first step to managing loss is to take steps to improve your sleep and reduce or avoid causes of stress. Although this is easier said than done, taking time off work and making efforts to achieve deep, REM sleep can have a fantastic effect on the quality of your hair.
Your Diet
Naturally, the nutrition your body receives also directly impacts the quality and growth of your hair. It’s important that your diet is balanced to avoid brittle hair and hair loss; this is why extreme diets like keto, intermittent fasting or Paleo, can impact healthy hair production. For example, the Paleo diet often promotes a high intake of sweet potato and other foods rich in vitamin A, which research shows is strongly connected to hair loss. If you are struggling with hair loss whilst on your diet, consider evaluating how to introduce hair-growth foods to offset any impacts. In serious cases in which you notice severe shedding, you may want to come off your diet as soon as possible.
Diabetes And Hair Loss
While extreme diets can contribute to shedding, an excessive consumption of sugars and fatty foods may also lead to type two diabetes can also cause hair loss. This is because the blood vessels that are required to carry oxygenated blood around the body can become blocked or damaged. If hair follicles are not getting the nutrients and oxygen they need, it may lead to increased loss of hair.
As you can see, there are many small changes you can make to help reinvigorate hair growth and improve your overall health. It is recommended that you start by making these small, nourishing changes before considering more permanent or more drastic ways to cope with hair loss, such as taking unnatural medications or seeking a hair transplant.
Image courtesy of layered haircuts
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Credit- What is Psychology (WIP). Published by- Dr. Sabiha : www.drsabiha.blogspot.com
