Can Stress Play a Role In Hair Loss?

Copyright 2006 Brendan ConroyStress is a fact of life in this modern world we live in. Ourdaily lives are filled to the brim with work, children, andactivities like never before. It seems the more we try tobalance our lives, the more complicated they become. It iscommon knowledge that long term stress can cause a variety ofhealth concerns so it shouldn't come as any surprise to findthat stress can play a role in hair loss too. In many ways, ouremotional health is written on our faces (and our heads). Haveyou ever noticed you can usually pick out people passing you bythat are having a stressful day? Their faces say it all. Thesame is true with your hair.Can stress play a role in hair loss? You bet it can! There'seven a name for it, Telogen Effluvium. This is defined as hairloss caused by the sudden onset of stress. The odd thing aboutthis condition is that you're usually over the stressful eventbefore the hair loss even starts. Sudden stress causes the hairfollicles to stop growing and enter into the resting phaseprematurely. The hair will remain in this resting phase forseveral months. At this time, an unusual amount of hair will beshed in a short period of time. For the most part, hair losscaused by stress is temporary.Since stress can play a role in hair loss and we would like tokeep our hair intact, just what can we do to prevent it? Theobvious answer is to eliminate stress from our lives but thatisn't very realistic since not all stress is within our control.Some situations are stressful and there is nothing we can do tochange that. What we can do is learn to deal with the stress inour lives in a more healthy way. This is not only good for ourhair production, but for our overall well-being. First we mustlearn the art of dissociation. Simply put, forget about yourproblems for a while. The longer you can do this, the more timeyour body has to calm down. Go out and enjoy yourself. Fun is agreat stress reducer. Pick a form of relaxation that works foryou. If reading is a great way for you to wind down, set asidetime each day to do it. If you enjoy movies, go see one. Rest inyour hammock each day after dinner. Exercise can be a terrificway to release stress. I know that sounds like something peoplejust say to get you to exercise but it's true. Pick somethingyou like, whether it is a team sport or running with yourearphones on. The point is, try to find some way that works foryou to help you deal with the stress in your life. Not only willyour hair grow back, but all aspects of your health willbenefit.