Stress and Hair Loss ? Does stress cause hair loss

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Is Stress Linked To Hair Loss?
Many people will pass a comment in conversation that “stress can cause hair loss“. Can this really be true? Are the two linked? Or is this just an urban myth?

What Kind Of Stress?
Let’s be clear about what we mean exactly by stress. Many people use this term without being specific. Stress is when a person cannot respond appropriately to some emotional or physical threat. As a result, there are physiological changes that occur as coping mechanisms – for example a release of adrenalin and cortisol. This is a response of the endocrine (hormonal) system.So what we are basically asking is if changes to our endocrine system due to stressful events and our reactions to them are linked to hair loss.

The Science Behind It
We already know that hormones are linked to hair loss. We know that DHT is a by-product of testosterone and inhibits hair production.Did you know that when you get stressed, your body increases levels of cortisol, another hormone, which remain elevated in the bloodstream for some time. Some studies have found such increased levels of cortisol in men with male pattern baldness

A Special Case – Alopecia Areata
By the way, when I link stress and baldness I am not talking about alopecia areata. This is when a person undergoes a hugely stressful event or has an immune system disorder and much of their hair suddenly falls out.This is a completely different condition to male pattern baldness.

How To Reduce Stress

We all suffer from stress from time to time. The true cause of the stress is not the event itself but how you react to it. I remember that I once worked in an office that I thought was stressful but my friend enjoyed the experience. I realised that the problem was not the office but me.You can spend your lifetime trying to avoid stressful events but it is better to learn how to cope with them instead. How to deal with stress is a huge issue and beyond the scope of this guide but I can recommend to you some excellent books that you might want to check out:Conquering Stress – this is a great book written by a guy who lost both parents and had marital troubles but overcame it.

Final Word On Stress
Stress is one of the lesser factors connected to hair loss. If you think you are no more stressed than the average person then it is not so important. But if you know that you are highly stressed then you need to do something about it and you cannot ignore it.