The Oft-Forgotten Yet Critical Thing That Could Be Affecting Your Hair Growth

Hair loss is common yet complex. That's because a slew of factors can contribute to increased thinning and shedding: things like too-tight hairstyling, scalp inflammation, aging, and, yes, sleep—or rather, a lack thereof. 

It all boils down to cortisol: Come bedtime, you experience a drop in the infamous stress hormone (and an uptick in melatonin, which has some impressive benefits for skin cell repair), but without proper shut-eye, your body is more likely to increase cortisol levels, which, if the poor sleep is chronic, can snowball pretty quickly. In other words, a lack of sleep makes us stressed—and this can lead to stress-induced hair loss.

The link between stress and hair loss1 is well-documented—so much so, it has its own diagnosis: a medical condition known as telogen effluvium. The stress pushes the follicles into a dormant phase (known as the telogen phase), which can cause those hairs to fall out. It's not usually permanent (more in a moment), and it's incredibly common. 

Something to know about stress-induced hair loss: "Once the stressors are managed, the hair will subsequently respond by not shedding further and eventually regrow," board-certified dermatologist Christine M. Shaver, M.D., at the Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration in New York City, told us about the condition. It doesn't happen overnight—the process may take one to three months, or Shaver says it can take one to two years after the stressor for you to completely grow back your full mane. But the kicker here is to focus on optimizing your sleep routine. 

However, the advice to simply get more sleep! (along with its equally frustrating cousin, don't stress!) is, quite understandably, not helpful. I won't sit here and tell you the road to dreamland is an easy one; it's not, but starting from somewhere—anywhere!—is half the battle.