Is Your Hair Thinning Due to Stress?
Your hair has three phases during its growth cycle. The first one is the anagen phase. This is the part of hair growth that can last for years and the length of the years can vary according to the genetic makeup of the person.
The second stage of hair growth is known as the catagen phase. This part is considerably shorter and lasts just over a week or so. Finally, the hair cycle goes into the telogen phase and this lasts about twelve weeks.
It’s during this part that you’ll notice you might lose strands of your hair. When your hair is in this phase, it’s known as the resting stage. Once the resting stage is complete, the hair growth cycle starts over with the anagen phase.
Stress disrupts this cycle. While it might seem like a myth that stress affects the hair, it does – and both men and women can go bald and it can happen whether you’re young or old.
Stress is one of the main reasons that your hair thins and you develop patchy hair growth and baldness. Stress thinning of the hair is known as telogen effluvium. When you experience this type of stress-affected hair thinning, the cycle of hair growth is broken.
Instead of completing the healthy growth cycle, the stress causes the hair to quit growing. When the hair’s growth cycle is changed, it makes your hair start to fall out.
This stage is when you get the thinning areas and baldness.
You might see one bald patch or you might see several. You may first notice it when you bow your head and look in a mirror. Though stress can thin the hair on the scalp, you can also start to lose hair in other places on your body if your stress is severe or is chronic.
It can take several months for the hair to resume its normal cycle. But the good news is that when your hair thins because of stress, you can restore your hair. As soon as you get rid of the stress and your body is no longer dealing with it, your hair growth resumes its natural ability.
That’s why it’s important not to let stress linger in your life. There’s no set time for when your hair will stop thinning. The speed at which it grows back will vary from person to person.
Some of this will depend on the types of foods that you’re eating. A healthy diet can promote good hair growth and so can certain vitamins and minerals. You’ll want to make sure that you take vitamins known to promote healthy hair growth such as Vitamin B. Consume foods rich in Vitamin C, too – since it helps the body make collagen, which is necessary for hair growth.