Is Hair Loss Caused By A Lack Of Sleep Permanent?

Lavanya

Question: Is hair loss from lack of sleep permanent?

Answer: Hi Lavanya, thanks for your question. Hair loss caused by a lack of sleep is rarely permanent, however, regrowth can depend upon the type of hair loss condition.

Sleep deprivation is a form of stress and stress is known to affect hair loss. It can cause temporary hair loss conditions such as telogen effluvium, and can also exacerbate hereditary hair loss in both men and women with a genetic predisposition to androgenic alopecia.

Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss are progressive conditions where a sensitivity to the hormone DHT causes thinning hair. In women this thinning is more general, whereas in men it tends to be concentrated to specific areas around the top of the head, such as a receding hairline or a thinning crown and can deteriorate into bald patches if left untreated.

Therefore, if the underlying cause of the hair loss is androgenic alopecia (male/female pattern hair loss) this existing condition may be further aggravated by the stress caused by a lack of sleep. However, once your sleep patterns have returned to normal and the cause of your sleep disturbances has been identified and dealt with, your hair loss condition is still likely to continue as it is a permanent, progressive condition, although the rate of shedding may slow slightly. This is because the root cause of the hair loss was the genetic condition and not the stress/sleep deprivation.

If you are not susceptible to genetic hair loss, suffering from stress that is causing or contributing to your inability to sleep, may be the root cause of a temporary hair loss condition such as telogen effluvium. Telogen Effluvium can prematurely shock follicles into the resting period of the hair growth cycle, inducing unexpected hair fall. Once the stress is under control and your sleep patterns are restored, normal hair production should resume although it can take up to six months for full regrowth to become noticeable. Telogen Effluvium which continues for more than six months is known as Chronic Telogen Effluvium or Diffuse Hair Loss.

There are hair loss treatments available for female pattern hair loss as well as treatments for telogen effluvium and diffuse hair loss, to help spur on regrowth. All these treatments revolve around the pharmaceutical component, minoxidil, which is clinically-proven to treat female hair loss and has been shown to produce promising results when treating a variety of other hair loss conditions.

If you are concerned about shedding, contact a hair loss specialist who will be able to diagnose the exact cause of your hair fall and determine the most effective treatment solution to help regrow your hair.