Come March and exam fever is all around!
From pre exams, school final exams, to college
exams, competitive exams, professional course assessments, paper submissions…
the list goes on. A stressful time for students and parents alike!
We understand that this kind of stress, in
particular, is largely unavoidable. However, we can surely review the way we
deal with it all. An effort has to be made to alleviate stress. ‘Cos stress
silently triggers much within our body, the impact of which we do not realise
until later.
Your hair is one of the first organs to show a
reaction to stress. Severe stress affects the hair’s growth cycle, leading to
more hair fall than usual.
Let us first help you understand how stress can
affect you and your hair. We will then move to discuss how you can deal with
it, overall, and specifically, how to stay clear of hair worries
How does stress affect you?
Emotional or mental stress gives rise to chain
reactions in your body. It’s not just how you ‘feel’. There are actual
physiological stress responses that include gastric, cardiovascular and
hormonal changes. The organs that feel the ‘stress’ are your brain, nerves,
muscles, joints, your heart, stomach, pancreas, intestines and your
reproductive system. Your skin and hair, the most visible parts of your body
show a tremendously negative reaction as well – hair fall and acne, to name a
couple.
Stress alters the hormonal balance in your body.
Hormones, as you know, are chemicals that are produced by various glands in
your body’s endocrine system. They travel through your bloodstream, to various
organs and tissues, telling the organs what or what not to do! Most bodily
functions and processes are regulated by these hormones. So any disturbance to
its balance can affect a wide range of functions, including your hair growth
cycle.
Studies have shown that stress causes changes in
serum levels of certain hormones like glucocorticoids, catecholamines, growth
hormone, prolactin, cortisol, and thyroid hormone. While some of these changes
are needed for your ‘fight or flight’ response, it can at large lead to bodily
concerns. If you are someone who is already having endocrine disorders or
fluctuating hormones, stress makes matters worse.
It is also important to remember that when you
are feeling stressed, your immune system also responds a tad different than
normal. Emotional stress has been observed to cause oxidative stress, which has
been implicated quite a bit in depression, anxiety disorders and overall high
anxiety levels. This state leads to a certain type of cell death. To give you a
context, cell death is often discussed for its relevance to development,
degenerative diseases, and even cancer.
Yes, the effects of stress can be minimal (when
dealt with, head-on) or wide (when not handled!). It all rests on how it is
managed. Do understand it’s implications, make your loved ones aware of it
(parents – do have a chat with your stressed student-kids) and deal with it in
a collaborative manner.
What happens to your hair when you are stressed?
As mentioned above, when you are stressed, your
body releases certain hormones, and the overall hormonal balances are
disturbed/altered as a response. These changes communicate with the cells
throughout your body, including your hair molecules.
When it comes to stress and hormones, women
typically experience imbalances in estrogen and progesterone levels, while men
experience imbalances in their testosterone levels. Having said that, both
genders have a proportion of both sex hormones and see it get affected by
stress.
DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is a fine example of
this – a byproduct of the male hormone testosterone, whose increased levels are
damaging to the hair follicles. DHT shrinks the hair follicles, shortening
their life and leading to tremendous hair fall. Do read our blog on the topic
to understand the effect of DHT on hair.
Chronic stress is known to throw your hormones
off the radar, and this becomes an underlying condition for various hair &
scalp complications. The erratic routines that are typically followed during
stressful periods, such as during exam times, further aggravate the situation –
lack of sleep, irregular meal times/ skipping of meals, lack of nutritious
well-balanced diet, inadequate consumption of water, skipping
oiling/washing/hair wash routine, to name a few concerns.
What are the hair problems that get triggered/
aggravated due to stress?
The most common forms of hair loss caused by
stress are Diffuse Hair Loss and Telogen Effluvium where there is excessive
hair loss from the entire scalp and not in any specific pattern such as with
FPT or MPT.
The most common stress-related hair problem is
Telogen Effluvium (TE). This is when the Telogen phase of your hair growth
cycle is prolonged. It is characterized by diffuse hair loss and hair thinning.
Diffuse hair loss in itself is known to be a direct result of physiological and
emotional stress.
To understand TE, it is important to understand
the hair growth cycle. Do read up on it. With TE, the Anagen phase slows down,
pushing lesser follicles into the next stage – approx. 30% of the hair
follicles move into the Telogen phase – more than normal – ideally, 85-90% of
your scalp hair is in the anagen stage, 1% in the catagen phase and 10-15% in
the telogen phase. Prolonged telogen phase, with more hairs getting pushed into
it, means hair loss. Do read our blog on the topic to understand the condition
better.
Trichotillomania is another problem that is seen
much in students dealing with stress. It is an impulse-control disorder noticed
in children, teenagers and young adults, directly related to stress. It is when
you have an overpowering desire, an impulsive action, to pull out your hair.
While it’s predominantly pulling hair from the scalp, there are instances when
it is observed being pulled from other places of the body such as eyebrows or
eyelashes. It is a psychosomatic disorder that needs clinical treatment.
Alopecia Areata is yet another hair problem that
can be triggered due to chronic stress. As you would have read on our earlier
blogs, this is an autoimmune disorder wherein the hair follicles are attacked
by the body’s immune system, leading to hair loss. It gives rise to bald
patches or spots on the scalp and hence also known as spot baldness. Emotional
stress leading to use of antidepressants or other medication increases the probability
of getting Alopecia disorder. This is again a condition that needs clear
clinical diagnosis & professional intervention.
Research has shown that in the student community,
stress-related hair problems are more pronounced in those in university/college.
Otherwise latent disorders too have a tendency to flare up when under severe
stress.
Thus, stress impacts the body, and particularly
one’s hair, in a very direct manner. The ill-effects of an attacked or
compromised immune system can be catastrophic.
Before we speak on what you can do to shield
yourselves and your hair from the effects of stress, there is one important
aspect we would want to highlight.
With hair loss, the cause of the loss occurs
about 2 or 3 months BEFORE the actual hair loss. This is because of the
internal imbalance, point in discussion being severe stress, causes many of the
growing hairs to pass prematurely to the resting ‘telogen’ phase. The hair
remains in this phase for about 2 or 3 months and THEN falls out. We then start
to worry, three months after the actual cause has occurred!
Temporary self-correcting diffuse hair loss will
begin 2 or 3 months after the event causing the hair loss, and no treatment can
really quite stop the loss. It will start after 2-3 months and return to its
normal state after 6 months. You will simply need to care for it as always,
with a balanced diet and a disciplined hair care regimen. Unless there’s an
unknown underlying medical condition for your hair loss, the concern should
only last for, say the 6 months, around the particular period of stress or
anxiety.
Permanent diffuse hair loss will not be corrected
unless the causative factor is corrected. This needs a clear diagnosis and
appropriate treatment – both for the causative factor and your hair
individually, yet cohesively.
So! Now when you are at the peak of the exam
season, take due care! And you won’t have to sweat it 3 months from now!
Some tips to keep the stress out of your hair!
Stress and hair fall are connected in a vicious
circle that only you can put a brake on. Your hair shouldn’t be adding to your
existing worldly worries! If you’re losing hair because of stress or anxiety,
then the first thing to attack is to get those stress levels under control. Do
not panic. And get acting. The earlier you learn to manage stress, the sooner
your hair concerns get addressed.
Here’s what you can do as you go through your
exams and study schedules.
Have a clear plan. Get yourself organised and
chart a clear schedule to help you stay ahead of timelines. Efficient time
management can cut down stress and anxiety by half! Easier said than done, we
know. But it’s important that you do this!
Learn to relax. Consciously try to not ‘react’ to
situations and get stressed. Acknowledge it and work on it. Learn to take a
step back, and view things calmly. Take on any form of relaxation that suits
you and your body; anything that helps you manage the stress. Spend time on
yoga, meditation, music, dance, a stroll, reading a book…whatever helps to calm
those nerves and give you some mental space. This can go a long way in dealing
with stress.
Eat healthily. Nothing else can amp up your
spirits, body, mind, and hair, like a good well-balanced meal. A balanced meal
with all those Hair Foods will ensure that your hair is strong enough to make
that stress-ball bounce right off! Take your trichologist’s advice on
nutritional supplements for your hair. Do not self-prescribe.
Drink up. Water! Not sodas and caffeine. Water,
with all those magical minerals in it, does wonders for your body and hair.
When you are well-hydrated, half your battle is won. Stress per se can cause
dehydration. Anxiety makes your heart rate go up, and your breathing heavier,
thereby losing more fluids. Not to mention that when you are all wound up in
stress, you forget to drink water! Studies have actually indicated that when
you are just half a litre dehydrated – your cortisol (stress hormone) levels
shoot up. When you are hydrated, you reduce the level of the physiological
responses to stress. This doesn’t mean drinking 8 glasses at a time! Keep
drinking small amounts of water throughout the day.
Stay active. Exercise regularly. Stay active and
fit. Exercise has the ability to reduce the levels of stress hormones, such as
adrenaline and cortisol. Staying active with any form of exercise helps
stimulate the production of endorphins, the chemicals in our brain that
functions as our body’s natural painkillers and mood uplifters. Exercise also
helps regulate sleep, which in turn can reduce stress and relieve tension in
the body.
No tight hairdos. If you have long hair, wear it
comfortably. Braids would be our recommendation. But not too tight that they
put a strain on your hair follicles, which are already under attack from within
thanks to stress.
Oiling. Not only is this good for your hair but
great to help you relax. A good oil massage will nourish your hair while giving
you the much-needed relaxation and soothing effect amidst all the chaos and
stress around you. Do not skip this routine, especially during the periods of
high tension! Oil regularly and wash your hair with a scalp cleanser. Condition
and deep condition whenever you get the time, once a week. Keep your hair
moisturised and nourished.
Go for a trim before things get too hectic – to
sail through the next couple of months. Your hair needs a trim periodically. It
helps keep damage at bay and makes it easier to maintain. Not to mention a new
cut or style can lift those spirits a bit!
Sleep well. Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night.
If you can manage about 7, you will be fine. And if 8 hours are not quite working
out, take those power naps when you can during the day. A 20-minute power nap
can do wonders. It will instantly revive you.
Speak up. Ask for help. Stay in the company of
people who engage you, motivate you and not add on to the stress! When you feel
things are getting out of control, speak up. Talking aloud about the things on
your plate can help declutter your mind, and this helps reduce stress. Seek
help when in need, and take help when it is extended. There is nothing to feel
hesitant about.
Don’t be hard on yourself. Breathe. Calm your
nerves once in a while with a deep breath and remind yourself of your many
strengths. Don’t beat yourself up on what’s not done. Review the work done
every now and then. Take satisfaction from the tasks accomplished before you
chug forward.
While we have spoken about the exam season, the
related stress and what you should be mindful of in this context, self-care (be
it your overall health, your hair, or emotions) is important year-round. It has
to be given its due importance and prioritised, especially when in stressful
situations.
Every lock comes with a key. As do hair problems.
Don’t let stress get to your hair. When stress crosses a threshold, it starts
rendering your hair dull, lifeless, dry, brittle and prone to breakage. If
stress and hair loss persists, in spite of measures taken to control it, do
visit a Trichologist. There may be some underlying condition you need to have
checked. Consult a trichologist and address your hair concerns the right way.
A trichologist will carry out a detailed analysis
of your hair & scalp condition, your routine and diet, along with your
medical case history. If he/she feels that you are a tad too stressed, they
will also help you with some tips to handle the situation! This apart, once a
diagnosis is drawn, if need be you will be prescribed appropriate treatment. It
could be a topical treatment, basic hair fall treatments, rejuvenating
therapies, changes to diet or routine habits, or other specific tricho
treatments, depending on your hair’s need.
Take care and keep your hair out of the exam
season! It can be done quite simply, we assure you!
We sign off with our best wishes for success, to
you and your loved ones, this season!
If you need any help with your hair, you know we
are just a call away!
For more handy tips on hair care, do check out
blogs. Perhaps a good way to take a break from your exam schedules &
destress! You can also connect with us on social media on the links below.
Please leave your questions & comments, and we will address them all!
