Sleep and hair loss
You aren't going mad if you feel like you lose hair with poor sleep. Sleep is necessary to produce the sleep hormone melatonin, which also protects hair follicles and can counter the hormonal disruption leading to hair loss.
Studies show that topical melatonin can treat androgenetic alopecia, slowing hair loss and stimulating new growth. Research also shows melatonin impacts hair follicles' interaction with oestrogen, triggering hair loss and growth.
While the melatonin produced while sleeping is not the same as a topical application, the link is there. Additionally, sleep loss is a type of stress, and stress is known to trigger telogen effluvium hair loss (temporary hair loss).
However, every medical case is unique, so every scientific study you read should be taken with a pinch of salt. The best thing you can do is talk to a trichologist about your hair health and create an action plan for treatment.
Sleep quality and hair appearance
Even if you don't experience hair loss, poor sleep quality can impact hair appearance and feel, giving you those dreaded bad hair days.
One of the reasons for this is that poor sleep stresses your body, causing excess production of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is accompanied by sebaceous oil release, including at the root of every hair, making your hair oily.
You might also notice that your hair falls out more easily while brushing (this is because the sebaceous oil lifts the hair root slightly).
Sleep quality and hair growth
It is well known that adequate sleep is necessary for regulating hormones, including those responsible for hair, skin, and nail health.
Studies show that quality sleep can stimulate new hair growth, although the relationship is complicated. A lack of sleep lowers hormone levels, while adequate sleep is a marker for healthy hormone regulation.
It would be disingenuous to say that getting more sleep will help your hair grow back because the statement is not rooted in any evidence. However, sleep cannot harm, and poor sleep can exasperate hair loss.
Vitamin B12 and the link with hair loss and sleep
A tangible link between hair loss and poor sleep is low vitamin B12. B12 is necessary to produce the sleep hormone melatonin, which regulates our circadian rhythms (how we respond to light and dark).
Clinical and scientific research has linked low melatonin levels to increasing insomnia frequency. Vitamin B12 is an essential ingredient for melatonin production, so a deficiency can impact sleep and, in turn, hair health.
When Vitamin B12 levels are low, your hair follicles won't be able to grow as efficiently, which can cause excessive hair loss.
The good news is that hair loss from nutritional deficiencies is easy to treat – boost your intake of vitamins with a healthy diet.
Factors that contribute to hair loss
Hair loss in men is typically male-pattern baldness, a genetic trait, although you can carry the gene all your life without it activating. A study investigating the gene found that genetics account for 80% of male pattern baldness.
Hair loss in women is typically alopecia, a common and often temporary form of hair loss with bald batches. While there is a genetic pattern, it is also triggered by stress, trauma, and childbirth, giving you lots of scope for a trigger.
Temporary hair loss, or telogen effluvium, is most often caused by stress, trauma, illness, life-changing events, and extreme weight loss.
The most unspoken factor that contributes to hair loss is diet, with food and drink being critical to giving your body the nutrients it needs to produce hormones. You can eat to sleep better with a healthy, balanced diet.
Summing up
There is a link between accelerated hair loss and poor sleep, although the many environmental and genetic factors make studying the effects difficult. More research is needed for a definitive answer, but in our view, getting more sleep is one of the best things you can do to improve your overall health.