Anxiety and Hair Loss

Anxiety & Hair Loss

Anxiety affects so many people in so many ways. Anxiety is not just a mental issue that only lives in your head; it can also affect your physical health. Anxiety can cause acne, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, tiredness, tension, muscle aches, trembling, and hair loss. Anxiety-related hair loss presents in different forms, but there can be good ways to prevent it.

One of the more common forms of anxiety-related hair loss is a disorder called trichotillomania, otherwise known as a hair-pulling disorder, which is the irresistible urge to pull out a person’s hair. Examples of trichotillomania are hair that is pulled from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or any other hair on the body. It is a way that people cope with anxiety and can also be linked with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This can cause bald patches on the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. It sometimes is so severe that the person is left with no eyebrows or eyelashes.
Some people may argue that this is something the person can stop doing, but for others, the urge to pull the hair is overwhelming. For some people, it is an automatic thing they do without even realizing it, while for others, it is intentional to help relieve stress and anxiety. It can be associated with negative or positive feelings; for positive, it gives the person a sense of relief, but for negative, it can be a reaction to stress and anxiety as a way to cope with these feelings.

There are a few ways to treat and prevent trichotillomania; a common one is habit reversal training. In this training, they are taught how to find their triggers and find something to do to replace it. Replacements can be fidget toys or even something as simple as clenching their fist instead of hair pulling. Most of the time, when the act of hair pulling ceases, the hair will grow back.

Another common type of anxiety-related hair loss is telogen effluvium when large amounts of stress and anxiety force multiple hair follicles into the resting phase. If the follicles are in this phase for too long, the hair will fall out. Not only can anxiety cause telogen effluvium, but postpartum, chronic illness, weight loss, and more can as well. Whenever there is a significant stress on the body or mind, this can happen. The best ways to prevent this are to maintain a healthy diet, handle hair gently, take the correct vitamins, and try to reduce stress and anxiety as much as possible.

Reducing anxiety is much easier said than done, but there are a few things to do that may help. An excellent way to start is to ensure your body is being taken care of correctly. Keeping a diet full of protein, vegetables, and fruit, can make all the difference in mental health. Adding whole grains to your diet, such as oats, quinoa, and whole-grained bread, has been proven to help manage anxiety. It also has been proven to help stay away from too much sugar. Finally, switch that soda to a glass of water; it will make a huge difference.

Losing your hair can be a source of anxiety itself, and the last thing you want is to add to any stress you are already experiencing. However, taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of your body, and sometimes taking care of your body helps your mind as well.