The holidays are upon us! ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and also the season to overindulge in food and drink, overschedule ourselves, and become sleep-deprived and stressed out. Weight gain is just one side effect of holiday stress and overindulgence. Another, lesser-known but very real side effect? Holiday-related hair loss.
There’s a reason why so many New Year’s resolutions involve clean eating and working out: People want to shed their holiday weight gain and reverse the unhealthy habits they picked up in December.
How Stress Affects Hair
Stress, significant weight gain or loss, and sleep deprivation all lead to physiological changes in body chemistry that affect your tresses. Stress causes the body to secrete cortisol, a hormone that makes people crave high-carbohydrate, high-fat foods. Stress also causes the body to enter a sort of “panic mode.”
In response to stress-related hair loss because of chemical imbalances, the body redirects energy from non-life-sustaining functions like hair growth so that energy can be used to offset the negative effects of stress on your brain and organs. Stress can affect judgment (which can make you accident-prone) and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Because living trumps luscious locks, when you’re stressed, your follicles are more prone to enter resting phase. Perhaps what’s most troubling about holiday-related hair loss is that it often manifests a full three to four months after the holidays. It’s an unwelcome gift that keeps giving!
What You Can Do Now to Prevent Holiday Hair Loss Later
Unlike holiday weight gain, which you can reverse by working out, there’s not much you can do about it besides wait for new hair to grow. That takes time: Your locks will grow about half an inch per month. Prevention is a better approach! Enjoy the holidays, but heed the following tips to keep stress at bay. That way, your body won’t panic and neglect your hair follicles.
Schedule Downtime
You don’t have to be on the go all the time. Take a walk, take a nap, take a bath, read a book ... take time for whatever calms and balances you.
Be Realistic
As hard as you may try to create a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell-esque holiday, you will fall short. Try as you may, you’ll never reach perfection — because perfection is an unattainable goal! Focus on the positive and the simple joys, like spending time with those you love.
The minimization of holiday stress is a gift that will benefit you and your loved ones in many ways. A few months from now, as you notice your friends’ thinning hair, you’ll be glad you made the effort!
Leading a less stressful life is always better for your health, but sometimes hair loss cannot be avoided. If you’re suffering from thinning hair or hair loss and it’s beyond your control, New Look Institute can help. To meet privately with a professional New Look Institute hair restoration specialist contact us today!
Photo Credit: Andi_Graf Via Pixabay
