Can Stress Cause Hair Thinning? Expert Advice

Stress can cause a whole swath of issues, including headaches, depression, insomnia, and anxiety, largely due to the stress hormone cortisol. But can stress cause hair loss? Yes, stress is a contributing factor in hair loss for many people. However, it’s not straightforward. To treat stress-related hair loss, you must know the stressor and how to combat it.

Stress can cause hair shedding and influence different kinds of thinning. While stress-related hair loss is usually temporary, if another factor is causing your shedding, it will only worsen your hair loss.

In this article, we’ll explore reasons for stress-related hair loss, how you can identify it, potential treatments, and how Hairy Hair can help you.

How Does Stress Impact the Hair Growth Cycle?

Stress causes more hairs to go into the resting phase prematurely, and hence, more thinning and less development, affecting the dermal papilla. There are three phases of the hair growth cycle:

• Anagen (growth) phase: The growth phase, where hair follicles develop new hairs. It can last for years and is the phase where 80-90% of the hairs on the scalp are at any moment.
• Catagen (transition) phase: It is a short phase that only lasts for a few weeks and slows down hair growth as the strand is going to be lost
• Telogen (resting) phase: Hair growth comes to an end, and individual hairs are shed from the follicle naturally. It could last for approximately 3 months, but only 10-15% of the hair is in this stage at any given time.

Research published in Nature showed that high levels of the stress hormone corticosterone in mice (cortisol in humans) extended the resting cycle of the hair follicle.

Scientists discovered that removing the adrenal glands that produce stress in mice caused rapid hair growth and regrowth in hair follicles. Humans cannot have their adrenal glands removed, but this shows the effect of stress on our hair.

What are the Different Types of Stress-Related Hair Loss?

The three main types of stress-related hair loss are telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, and trichotillomania. 

Telogen Effluvium

This is the most prevalent form of hair loss caused by stress. While we normally lose 50-100 hairs every day, individuals suffering from telogen effluvium may lose 300 to up to 1000 hairs a day, as quoted by Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology.

This hair loss can increase shedding, thinning hair, scalp sensitivity, and slow hair growth, potentially leading to patchy hair loss. Telogen effluvium is caused by a stressful event, which can be physical or emotional. Common causes of temporary hair loss include childbirth, surgery, rapid weight loss or gain, and bereavement.

It’s important to remember that seeing shedding after a stressful event can take a few months. This is because changes to the hair growth cycle are gradual and can take 3 months to appear. 

Alopecia Areata

This autoimmune condition can also be triggered by stress. Alopecia areata causes round bald patches to appear on the scalp that are the size of coins. Stress can cause the frequency of flare-ups to increase for people with alopecia areata. 

People with this condition usually shed hair a few weeks after a stressful event. This is because the pituitary gland secretes stress hormones, which cause immune cells to become activated, which would otherwise be inactive.

Trichotillomania

This is a psychological type of hair loss that causes people to pull out their hair in a compulsion. It can include hair on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and other parts of the body. Stress is thought to be a factor in causing trichotillomania.

People with this condition usually feel tension before pulling their hair or if they try to stop and a sense of relief or pleasure afterwards. The pattern is also typically random, with bald spots on one side of the head or in an erratic shape.

How Can You Treat Stress-Related Hair Loss?

Stress-induced hair loss will normally resolve on its own. Once the stress has been managed, telogen effluvium patients will typically return to normal growth within 6-9 months. There are a few things you can do to prevent shedding as a result of stress and promote regrowth if you are worried about your condition:

• Stress management: The main thing to cure stress is to identify the reason for it. Stress management activities like exercise, meditation, and therapy will help you manage your levels.
• Sleep schedule: Ensure that you get good-quality sleep, between 7 and 9 hours a night. Lack of sleep raises the level of cortisol, thus increasing hair loss caused by stress.
• Healthy diet: Properly look after your diet so that you’re getting sufficient nutrients. Consult with a doctor if you think you may have a nutrient deficiency.
• Hair loss treatments: If you want to encourage regrowth, hair loss treatments like minoxidil or finasteride can reduce thinning and help bridge the gap while your hair recovers.

How Can You Prevent Stress-Related Hair Loss?

If you’re prone to stress-related hair loss, you should consider taking steps to prevent your stress levels from increasing. Below are some suggestions on how not to get stressed:

• Self-care: Stress can be managed in the long run by being consistent with small daily habits. Others are daily simple actions like walking, reading, and socialising.
• Mindfulness: Deep breathing, visualisation, and yoga are all activities that can be done to combat stress because they trigger the body’s relaxation response.
• Scalp massage: A scalp massage can help increase circulation, promote hair growth, and reduce stress. It can be done with oils rich in essential nutrients to benefit the scalp and follicles.

Managing Stress-Related Hair Loss and Other Thinning Issues

Reversing stress-related hair loss, including telogen effluvium, is possible. However, prolonged stress can lead to long-term shedding and even permanent hair loss through follicle damage. Treatment of the condition requires addressing any chronic stress. Not only can major traumas lead to thinning, but daily pressures can cause elevations in cortisol levels that disturb the hair growth cycle.

Stress will only make matters worse if you have an underlying condition of hair loss, like pattern baldness. If you address the cause of the stress, you might be able to reverse some of the thinning, but if you aren’t tackling the underlying cause, your shedding will only get worse.

If you’re worried about your hair loss, contact Hairy Hair today. Our targeted formula addresses the key causes of shedding. It aims to lower DHT levels, which cause follicle shrinkage and thinning, while helping to widen blood vessels on the scalp so your hair receives the nourishment it needs for healthy growth.

When you’re ready to tackle your hair loss, all you need to do is fill out our online form. Once we get to know you and your hair loss, one of our expert hair loss doctors will review your details and create a personalised treatment plan. They’ll give you a call to outline the plan and answer any questions you have. Your prescription will then be shipped to your door, providing a convenient and discreet option to manage your hair loss treatment.