Hair loss from stress and anxiety is one of the most common forms of low-level hair loss in men and women. When your stress levels are high your body can stop producing the right amount of hormones needed to maintain a healthy head of hair. When you have high levels of stress and anxiety, your hair can go into a ‘resting phase’, this will mean that you will notice your hair is not growing at its usual rate and you may begin to lose more whilst completing regular activities such as brushing or washing.
Knowing how to prevent hair loss from stress can be a great way of stopping your hair from reaching this state. Not only can getting on top of your stress be beneficial to your hair, but you will also notice that your overall quality of life will be positively impacted as a result. There are many ways to get in control of your stress and anxiety, all of which should positively impact stress-related hair loss.
Identify your sources of stress and anxiety
Knowing exactly what the cause of your stress or anxiety is can really get to the bottom of the issue to allow you to resolve it quickly and effectively. Stress can come from anywhere. From exams to work life and personal relationships. Causes can be short term, like worry over an upcoming meeting or a date, or they can be longer term such as anxiety and depression.
Recognising the root of the problem can go a long way to helping with preventing hair loss from stress and anxiety. The best way to identify the source of your stress is by taking a step back and thinking about what you are experiencing. Consider writing down how you are feeling and what you are thinking about, taking note of the common themes that appear. Often you will find that you will write a considerable amount more about your main cause of stress than anything else. Once you have identified it, you can take steps to changing it.
Practice meditation or relevant techniques
In recent years meditation, yoga and other forms of mindfulness exercises have become increasingly popular as a means of managing stress levels. Practicing mindfulness can take time and may seem difficult at first but the results can be incredibly rewarding. Some popular means of mindfulness that you can practice at home include: meditation, yoga and breathing techniques.
All of these have been proven to help reduce stress, which in turn will help with stress-related hair loss. Whilst meditation can help greatly with the mental side of stress and anxiety, you will also find benefits from physical means of mindfulness, such as yoga. In fact, exercise as a whole can be beneficial…
Get plenty of exercise
Knowing how to prevent hair loss from stress does not have to simply be mental exercises like meditation. When you exercise your body releases endorphins that are directly linked to general mood and happiness. If your body is happy and healthy, you will often find that your mind will be too. Exercising is a great way of preventing hair loss from stress and anxiety as it can greatly alleviate their effects.
Get into a good routine with your exercise. The feeling of the endorphins can be addicting and eventually you will want to keep going, you just have to stick with it during the initial period. In a short amount of time you will begin to notice results that can greatly enhance mood and confidence. Once you are in a routine you should begin to find that your mood remains stable, and your hair will begin to rejuvenate itself.
Adapt your diet
They say you are what you eat. If you eat badly, you will feel bad. Whilst you may want to stick to comfort junk food whilst your mood is low, this can in fact have the exact opposite reaction that you are after. Once you have identified that you are struggling with stress you can begin to take the necessary steps towards changing your diet.
Changing your diet can go hand in hand with exercising and combining the two is a great way to boost your confidence and self-esteem. You do not have to go completely away from comfort foods but balancing them in a steady diet is key. Good foods to implement into your diet and routines include:
Nuts and dried fruits – High in vitamin B which is linked with mood
Plenty of fish – Promotes positive brain activity and can lift mood
Cereal and oatmeal – Complex carbs promote healthy digestion and do not spike sugar levels
Dark chocolate – Produces endorphins and also can help with blood pressure
Seek out professional help
If you do feel like your stress and anxiety is becoming unmanageable, or if you notice that it is taking a major toll on your hair then you may wish to get professional help from a therapist or a psychiatrist. They will be able to provide you with advice and support with your stress and anxiety that will ultimately go a long way to helping you retain your hair.
If you do notice that your hair is not recovering from your stress you may wish to consider some therapies that we provide in order to give it a little boost. For example, some of our non-surgical options, including minoxidil and Propecia, can be just what your hair needs to kick back into action. Alternatively, if you are looking for a permanent solution to your hair loss from stress and anxiety, we are leading providers of hair transplant surgery in the UK. To book your consultation, simply get in touch with our friendly and helpful team.
