Does Sleep Affect Your Hair Growth?

In an age where we never ever switch off it figures that more and more of us are struggling to get enough sleep. As most of us use our phones as our alarm it’s hard not to get tempted to scroll through Instagram in the middle of the night and really throw off our sleep pattern. On average we all need around 7-9 hours of sleep but barely any of us are actually getting it. This wouldn’t be so much of a big deal if it didn’t have an impact on our bodies, and it wouldn’t be so much of a big deal to us if it didn’t have an impact on our hair. 

Your body repairs itself and regenerates cells as you sleep and this includes things like hair growth. Protein synthesis is one of the main processes that happens which is when your follicle cells create keratin, the protein your hair is made of. However, as hair is a non-essential tissue it’s one of the first things to lose nutrients when we’re not getting enough sleep, affecting our hair growth.

If your lack of sleep is making you feel stressed out then that could also lead to hair loss. According to Phillip Kingsley this is because…

Does-Sleep-Affect-Your-Hair-Growth

Lack of sleep and feeling super stressy can also lead to a rise in cortisol levels which directly affects sebaceous oil production. Greasy roots will weigh your hair down and make thin hair look even thinner which is the last thing you want. That’s why it’s so important to make sleep more of a priority and a part of our hair routine.

Now you know how important it is, there are a few other things you can do that will improve your hair health while you sleep. The first is investing in a silk pillowcase which is way more gentle and less damaging than a cotton one. As the surface is super smooth it won’t pull or snag on your hair as you toss in your sleep and it won’t suck out as much moisture either which is great for preventing frizz. You also want to avoid tying your hair in a tight bun or pony and instead go for a loose braid or twist your hair into a bun and secure it with a scrunchie. Using elastics and pulling your hair too tight will lead to breakage and if it's already thinning it’ll be more prone to damage.

We hope that this article has you inspired to switch the lights off at 9pm and to prioritise sleep over scrolling in the name of hair health!