Will stress cause hair loss?

Asked by Anonymous
Answered
05/17/2021

Everyone experiences stress on occasion. It’s a normal reaction to the demands of life that everyone encounters. While a small amount of stress can be positive and motivating, too much stress can interfere with your health and ability to function in a resourceful way.

The brain is wired to detect threats and then to respond to them accordingly. This is our fight or flight system; designed to prepare us to detect a threat and then to respond by fighting, fleeing, fainting, or freezing in order to handle the threat. Once the threat has been abated, the body is meant to return to its pre-stress response state. But for some of us, this process of returning to normal is difficult because of constant stressors, lower resilience, or prior trauma.

Stress can be linked with hair loss. Doctors believe three types of hair loss can be associated with high-stress levels. These are telogen effluvium, where stress is thought to force hair follicles into a resting phase where hair discontinues growing and may fall out during normal brushing or washing; trichotillomania, where an urge to pull hair from the body arises and leaves a person with less hair; and alopecia areata, wherein the immune system attacks hair follicles, which stress is thought to contribute to.

Stress can become chronic, and can create health problems, relationship issues, and lower the overall quality of life. Stress management is a vital part of living a healthy life. Doctors and therapists may recommend several stress management activities including:

  • Getting plenty of exercises
  • Maintaining an adequate sleep schedule
  • Spending time in activities you enjoy
  • Creating and spending time with a social support system
  • Practicing meditation, mindfulness, or breathing exercises to help the body’s stress system return to normal levels
  • Participating in yoga, stretching, and other gentle exercises that are relaxing to the body

If you notice sudden hair loss that is more than normal for you, talk with your primary care physician to rule out underlying health conditions that may be contributing, and to evaluate your level of stress. If you’re experiencing stress, create a stress management routine, or talk with a licensed therapist to begin a management plan for your stress.

(MS., CMHC., NCC.)