The Importance of Sleep for Healthy Hair

A new survey of 2,000 adults conducted by the charity alarm clock app 'iCukoo', has revealed that women suffer from sleep deprivation more than men. With most people needing an average of seven and a half hours sleep a night, it seems that women need around 15 days more sleep per year than they are currently getting, with most men just 10 days short of their yearly quota.

Serious consequences for your hair

But what impact is this lack of sleep having on our health? Well, for a start, sleep deprivation can affect the body's ability to repair and regenerate, which can influence hair growth.

Lack of sleep affects the immune system, as well as impacting stamina and the levels of hormones secreted by your body. This internal disturbance could lead to Telogen Effluvium, a type of temporary hair loss brought on by stress.

Those affected by Telogen Effluvium will notice increased shedding of the hair when hair follicles stop growing prematurely, and enter the 'telogen' or resting phase, where they stay for around three months before being shed. Whilst this condition is usually only temporary, lasting up to six months, it won't be resolved until the cause of the stress, in this case a lack of sleep, is addressed.

Effective treatments for Telogen Effluvium are available for people who want to help spur their hair follicles back into the growth stage. These bespoke minoxidil-based treatment plans have been seen to produce promising results in many Belgravia patients, as witnessed in our Hair Loss Success Stories.

Long-term health implications

Whilst some top executives claim to be able to function on four hours’ sleep a night, most of us need to sleep for between six to eight hours on average, in order to feel well-rested. Those suffering from lack of sleep are more likely to be stressed, which could trigger stress-related hair loss. Not getting enough sleep can also affect your day-to-day functioning, your mood, concentration and ability to work.

Lack of sleep can also have longer-term effects on both physical and mental health. In fact, a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and obesity have all been linked to not sleeping enough.

What's keeping us awake?

It could be stress about work or personal life that is keeping us awake at night: those who responded to the survey cited issues with family or friends, as well as snoring from partners as things which kept them awake at night.

Getting enough sleep is vital not only for the health of our hair, but also for our mental and physical well-being. Professor Russell Foster of the University of Oxford's Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute explained: “Sleep is the single most important health behaviour we have. It affects everything from our day-to-day functioning to our long-term physical and mental health.”