Due to today's busy life, work pressure, ups and downs in personal life and insomnia, 'severe anxiety' has become a common mental problem. People often associate anxiety only with headaches, nervousness or rapid heartbeat, but skin and pediatricians say that excessive mental stress has a direct impact on your scalp and hair follicles. Many times people indulge in expensive shampoos, oils and supplements, whereas the real root cause of their rapid hair fall is the stress and anxiety going on in the mind. Scientific relation between stress and hair: The game of cortisol in the body When a person suffers from extreme mental pressure, panic attacks or chronic anxiety for a long time, the body's 'fight or flight' system gets activated. Due to this, the adrenal glands start secreting large amounts of cortisol (stress hormone). Increased levels of cortisol constrict the blood arteries of the scalp, preventing essential oxygen, vitamins and protein nutrients from reaching the hair roots. When hair follicles are deprived of nutrition for a long time, their growth cycle gets disrupted and hair becomes weak and starts falling rapidly. Main types of hair fall caused by anxiety: According to dermatologists, excessive anxiety and depression mainly damage hair in three different ways: 1. Telogen Effluvium: This is the most common hair fall caused due to stress. A large part of our hair is always in the growth phase (Anagen). After sudden severe trauma, prolonged anxiety or illness, a large number of hairs go into the resting phase (Telogen) prematurely. After 2 to 3 months, hair starts falling in the form of clumps while combing, washing hair or on the pillow. 2. Alopecia Areata: Excessive anxiety and stress unbalance the body's immune system, leading to an autoimmune condition. In this, the body's immune cells start attacking its own hair follicles, due to which round patches (in the shape of a coin) are formed on the head or beard and the hair suddenly disappears. 3. Trichotillomania: This is a serious psychological and behavioral disorder in which a person, during times of nervousness, extreme stress or loneliness, starts pulling out the hair from his own head, eyebrows or eyelashes unconsciously. Does hair grow back when stress reduces? The silver lining is that hair fall associated with anxiety and stress (especially telogen effluvium) is usually reversible. Once the person has managed their stress, regained hormonal balance, and improved nutrition, new hair growth should resume within 6 to 9 months. However, if stress is left untreated and persists for years, the hair follicles can permanently shrink, causing permanent thinning of the hair. Important tips from dermatologists: How to protect hair from stress Mindfulness and meditation: Doing 15 to 20 minutes of pranayam, deep breathing exercise or yoga daily calms the nervous system and reduces cortisol levels. 7-8 hours of deep sleep: During sleep, body and scalp cells are repaired. Irregular and incomplete sleep further weakens the hair roots. Nutrient-rich diet: Include protein (eggs, pulses, cheese), biotin, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and green leafy vegetables in your plate so that your hair does not lack nutrition even during stress. Gentle scalp massage: Massage the scalp with your fingertips twice a week with lukewarm oil (such as almond or coconut oil), which improves blood circulation. Consult an Expert: If more than 100 hairs are falling continuously in a day or bare patches are appearing on the scalp, then without any delay consult a qualified dermatologist and therapist/psychiatrist so that both mental condition and hair care can be treated together.
