7 Lifestyle Habits That Contribute to Hair Loss

Have you noticed your hair is thinning? Hair loss is common and affects everyone differently but maybe you didn’t know your hair loss was attributed to lifestyle habits. Everyday routines or even new lifestyle changes can be the reason for you hair loss. To make a change and restore your hair, read this blog to learn more about lifetstyle habits you didn’t know were causing your hair loss. 

Over Working Your Body

As the warmer weather approaches, you might be trying to get in better shape for swimsuit season. Eating healthier and exercising more frequently is beneficial to your health. However, there is such a thing as working out too much. When you overwork your body without rest for recovery, your body takes energy from other parts such as your hair.  Therefore, extreme stress on the body, or working out beyond your limit, can cause hair loss. If you are unsure that you’re over working your body,  the following are a indicators to look out for:

• Exercise leaves you exhausted instead of energized
• Your legs always feel heavy
• You have a lot of pain in your muscles that go beyond just being sore 
• You get sick easier than usual
• You are unable to sleep or are always tired

Extreme Stress 

Everyone becomes stressed from time to time. However, short-term everyday stress such as being late for work or anticipating a big event is not going to affect your body in such a way that causes hair loss. Constant higher levels of stress that make you tired or affect your appetite raises the level of stress hormones, which in turn can lead to hair loss. 

The good news is, hair loss caused by stress such as a disease called alopecia areata are typically temporary. The best plan of action is to talk to your doctor for more information on how to reduce your stress. Additionally, talk to a hair restoration and replacement specialist who can offer an effective scalp analysis to best determine which solution is best for you. Laser hair therapy, or even custom wigs specifically designed for individuals with alopecia areata, are two possible solutions available to help with the effects of hair loss caused by stress. 

Dieting 

People say losing weight is as simple as eating healthy and exercising regularly. This may be true, but with so many diet fads and companies looking to make a quick buck with their “weight loss secrets,” people can easily become confused which diets are helpful and which are harmful. Although losing weight is generally supposed to make the individual healthier, extreme diets or even just poor dieting choices can be destructive and lead to issues such as hair loss. This is especially common when severely restricting calories, using meal replacements, or even when on a low-carb diet. 

Additionally, some people cut out certain foods when starting a new diet. In doing so, they may not be receiving the necessary vitamins and nutrients the body and hair need to thrive. For example, a popular diet trend is to eat fruits and vegetables only, while cutting out carbohydrates and meats. Fruits and vegetables are vital for hair growth as these foods provide vitamins A, C and E as well as zinc. However, whole grain contains the needed iron our bodies need and meat provides protein that makes hair strong and the body more energetic. When starting a new diet, be sure you are not removing foods that help your body thrive and provide the nutrients you need to boost your overall health. 

Smoking and Heavy Drinking 

Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, many of them toxic, which affect all areas of the body including the hair. Smoking negatively affects your circulation in general, which means issues with blood flow to your hair follicles. This disrupts the normal hair growth and loss cycle resulting in hair thinning and eventual loss.

A drink here and there won’t necessarily cause hair loss but heavy drinkers can struggle with a decrease in zinc and iron. These minerals are vital for to hair growth so the decrease can lead to dehydration making your hair your hair dry and brittle until more hairs are rapidly lost. 

Certain Medications

Medications are created and formulated to cure various health issues, but sometimes these prescription medications can have problematic side effects. One of the side effects that stem from medicine can be that of hair loss. According to Everyday Health, the reason that some medications cause you to lose your hair is that they are toxic to the hair follicles — the cells responsible for hair growth. When hair follicles become damaged, the normal cycle of hair growth is disrupted, which over time leads to hair loss. If you are concerned that a medication you are taking may be contributing to your balding, try asking a pharmacist for a complete list of the manufacturer’s warnings for the medication to see if hair loss is one of the side effects (Source). 

Putting Too Much Strain On Wet Hair

Your hair is sensitive when wet. Hair brushes will stretch the hair until it breaks rather than just simply working out the tangles. This may not be too damaging when done every so often but the effects over time can actually lead to weaker hair resulting in hair thinning and hair loss. In addition to brushing wet hair, towel drying your hair can surprisingly also be damaging as your hair is more susceptible to breakage when wet. When rubbing the wet hair with a towel, some of the hairs easily become tangled in the threads, which stretches them to the breaking point. This causes damage to the cuticle, frizziness and split ends. Rather than towel drying your hair try blotting with a towel instead to remove the excess moisture. Drying your hair this way takes a little more time but you’ll notice that your hair is stronger and healthier. Ultimately, be gentle when your hair is wet to prevent unnecessary hair loss. 

Hairstyling 

Firstly, applying heat on a regular basis such as blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons can severely damage the hair. Excessive heat used on a daily basis can lead to damaged, fried-looking hair that will ultimately lead to hair loss. Additionally, when the hair is over chemically saturated from constant coloring or bleaching, the hair is weakened and easily breaks off at the shaft or root leading to temporary hair loss. The good news is that once the chemical reaction stops, the roots can begin growing again. However, if you were to continue coloring your hair or not seek hair restoration treatment, the damage will continue to worsen.

Lastly, a hair styling such as tight braids or having hair tightly pulled back can lead to hair loss. For this reason, you’ll experience gradual hair loss, mostly at the hairline, from chronic pulling of the hair, which is also medically known as traction alopecia (source).

InVisions | CT Hair Loss Solutions

At InVisions of Connecticut , we are very proud to provide each of our clients with the very latest advances in hair replacement technology and clinically proven male and female hair loss solutions, Hair Loss prevention and Custom Hair Replacement solutions. InVisions of Connecticut is a recognized leader in multi-therapeutic hair loss treatment, hair restoration and hair replacement for men and women suffering from Alopecia, balding, and thinning hair.