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What can you do about irritated hair follicles?

Why is my hair limp all day when I'm sleep deprived?

  • I've always heard that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair (at least the visible part of it) is "dead," so I would expect it to be more of less the same from day to day in terms of its texture (given, of course, whatever state it's in during any given time period with whatever shampoos and such I'm currently throwing on it). But then, why is it that on days where I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, my hair is significantly limp and heavy? The sleep deprivation can take any form -- either I got to bed late and wake up at the usual hour, or I go to bed at the usual hour but wake up early and stay up. When I wake up, it is immediately evident that my hair feels limp and sort of oily/waxy. Does the scalp secrete oils during the night that cover the hair, but then are rubbed away by morning? But even if that's the case, sometimes on these mornings I'll try an extra round of shampooing, which seems to eliminate the oily feeling, but my hair remains the same in texture -- limp/heavy. It's almost as if my hair is as sleepy and lethargic as I am. What's going on here? I don't think I'm imagining it, since the evidence is plainly visible in the mirror. My hair normally is not especially oily, and I don't end up with greasy-looking pillowcases after a few days of use. So if my hair normally gets oily during the night but then that oil disappears by morning, where's it going? And again, this limp condition is noticeable from the moment I get up, and lasts throughout the day. Could it have something to do with the hair follicles? Can hair follicles become "tired" and weak so it's not holding my hair the usual way? (Side note: on these days, my skin also becomes sensitive and easily irritated.) What's up with this? It's been this way my entire life. It's never occurred to me to talk about this to anyone else, so I don't know whether it's a universal condition or not. When I hear about "limp, lifeless hair" it's usually in the context of hair that is that way all the time, not just on specific mornings where you're sleep deprived.

  • Answer:

    I'm not a medical professional, but sleep deprivation messes with hormones. Hormone differences (ie increased stress hormones) might make your hair greasier those days.

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Not sure if this would apply for you, but I've experienced this to some degree and attributed it to one of two things: If I am sleep-deprived because I couldn't sleep, my hair is in bad shape because I've been tossing and turning. If I am sleep-deprived because I was up doing something (whether it be out partying or up writing a paper or doing work), those are extra hours that I am awake and thus able to be physically touching/fussing with my hair (which I inevitably do). Otherwise I don't know of any actual PHYSICAL, "root" cause (so to speak) for your hair becoming more oily on its own when you're sleep-deprived.

lovableiago

I wonder if when you are tired, you feel your hair differently? Like it weighs down more and puts more pressure on your nerves? If I ever pull an all nighter, I do notice the next day my clothes feel weird and things seem to have different textures. I think it's because you feel things more sensitively.

katypickle

Maybe you're dehydrated on these days and that's making your scalp less firm, leading to saggy hair?

carmicha

I was going to suggest hormones as well. I have adrenal problems and my "normal" state is having oily skin and hair. When my DHEA gets too high it gets super oily. When I get my hormones closer to balance this goes away and my skin is great and not oily. The oiliness is exacerbated by sleep loss, because the amount of sleep you get has a huge impact on your adrenal glands and how much hormones they produce. Some hormones are effected by circadian rhythms specifically. I can't tell you what specific hormone is coming into play for you, because you can get oily skin from a number of combinations. For example, high cortisol can also cause oily skin, but I have nearly rock-bottom cortisol. I only know mine is DHEA because I have had it measured and it corresponds to the hormone supplements I must take. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and androgens can also cause it. So it's likely hormonal. Past that, the reason your hair stays like that all day is because shampooing it more can stimulate your scalp to release more oil; shampoo is very harsh. It can also damage your hair and just create more cracks in the hair shaft for oil to wedge itself in the future. This is why I wash my hair with baking soda, rinse it, and do a vinegar rinse instead. On top of this, your skin may remain oily for the remainder of the day, until your hormones are "reset" by getting the correct amount of sleep the next day (assuming you are mostly healthy in that regard).

Nattie

Just like your face can get oily/dry/saggy/pimples when you haven't slept much, your scalp does too due to changes in hormonal activity that controls oil excretion, inflammation, etc. Your hair is just a result of the condition of your scalp.

snufkin5

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