What are the Side Effects of Sleeping with Wet Hair?
Is sleeping with wet hair good or bad?
Our hair is very sensitive and small things can lead to breakage easily. They are prone to breakage very easily and small misleading can also lead to hair fall. You must have heard your mother say that sleeping with wet hair at night may cause you to catch a cold. Well she is right but not only you can catch a cold but also you can damage your hair.
A lot of people prefer to take a shower at night which leads them to sleep with wet hair. But this can affect you based on the condition and texture of your hair and other issues that you might be facing such as dandruff and itching, you should wait till your hair is fully dry before sleeping.
When wet, your hair cuticle, which is the outer layer of your hair shaft, opens up which makes your hair more brittle and stretched. When the hair cuticle stretches out more it becomes prone to breakage. This can also happen when you brush your wet hair and they break.
Now let’s see why you shouldn’t sleep with wet hair.
Side effects of sleeping with wet hair
1. Fungal infections
Sleeping with your hair wet and full of moisture can increase your risk of developing a fungal infection of the scalp. The moisture on the scalp can cause infection and itchiness.
2. Hair breakage
When our hair is wet they are more prone to breakage because they become weak and the pores open up. Not only will you wake up with some serious kinked bad head but you may also do some damage to your hair. Remember that your hair is at its weakest when it’s wet.
3. More expenditure on hair styling tools
When you have a bad head hairstyle you don’t like to go anywhere and they are really difficult to style too. You need a lot of tools to style your bed hair which also includes a lot of expense. You can smoothen your hair by restyling with hair gels, aerosols, and heat styling tools.
4. Promotes bacterial growth
Water and warm temperature leads to the growth of bacteria. With wet hair your pillow gets damp which leads to the ideal breeding ground for mold and bacteria. The frequent changing of the pillowcase will also not help so much as the dampness has already penetrated inside your pillow.
5. Can cause dandruff
When you sleep with wet hair the moisture and oil are sucked up by the fabric which results in a dry scalp and causes dandruff. The bacteria grows and natural oils deplete which results in an itchy dry scalp.
6. Cause dullness of hair
When all your moisture has been soaked up from your scalp your hair naturally becomes dull and lifeless. This also makes them easily breakable. Your hair texture becomes dry and they appear dead.
7. Can cause hair loss
Going to bed with wet hair can result in hair loss and scalp ringworm. It is a type of fungal infection, caused by warm and damp conditions. This can cause hair fall and irritate your hair roots. The wet hair can cause hair to fall from the temple and the mid area.
8. Can cause scalp irritation
The feeling of the itchy and irritated scalp is because of going to bed with wet hair. Diseases of the scalp can occur when you sleep on a damp pillowcase. The humid and warm environment can increase bacterial growth.
9. It can make the hair knotty
When you go to bed with wet hair they tend to get tangled during sleep. In the morning your hair can be unruly and hard to detangle and this can add extra stress to your morning routine.
10. It can give you a headache
A wet head can give you a headache. Some experts also say that sleeping with wet hair may lower your body temperature but it can cause a normal headache as your body tries to warm up.
11. It can cause frizzy hair
When you sleep you tend to roll a lot on your pillow. Damp hair creates stronger friction against the pillowcase which makes your hair frizzy. This will make it difficult for you to detangle your hair and can also cause hair loss.
12. It will cause hair thinning
When you go to bed with wet hair it results in hair fall which eventually causes hair thinning and loss of volume.
13. It can cause cold and sore throat
After washing your hair if you sleep in an air-conditioned room or if it is winter time then you may catch some cold and chills. It is very easy to catch a cold and sore throat due to wet hair. Avoid rinsing your hair in the winter season.
14. It can give you acne
After sleeping for a few times on a pillowcase your pillow traps bacteria and can cause a breakout of acne. Your skin will thank you for drying your hair before you sleep. The trapped bacteria can cause a lot of irritation to your skin.
What can you do to prevent this problem?
1. Dry out your hair
Make sure you are drying out your hair properly and brushing them evenly. Avoid sleeping with tangled hair to prevent hair fall. This can minimize your dandruff and damage.
2. Don’t tie your hair
Don’t tie your hair in a bun or pony as it can lead to hair fall and breakage. Some people think that tying wet hair may result in some beach waves and curls and they have something to flaunt. But this can damage your hair and hair roots.
3. Change your shower hours
Don’t wash your hair every night as it can cause hair fall. Therefore, avoid making hair wash a daily nighttime practice. To prevent some hair problems don’t take a shower at night but instead, take a shower in the evening or at least 1 hour before going to the bed.
4. Use silk or muslin hair wraps and pillowcases
Silk wraps are beneficial for both our hair and skin as they are natural fabrics and they don’t cause any friction. They are smooth and soft when compared to cotton pillowcases.
5. Change your diet
Follow a healthy diet and avoid salt, oily, and sweets as they make your hair oily and they can weaken your hair follicles and roots. Add macronutrients in your diet to strengthen your hair and hair follicles. Add cucumber, peanuts, methi seeds, pomegranate, walnuts, almonds, amla, and coconut.
6. Use some leave-in serum
Using some leave-in hair serum can help frizz-free hair and it can also strengthen your hair as well as nourish it.
7. Use essential oils
Use some essential oils or hair oils that can nourish your scalp. These oils have moisturizing and nourishing properties and can prevent and manage hair fall. Some of the oils which you can use are lavender oil, jojoba oil, essential oils, peppermint essential oil, rosemary oil, cedarwood essential oils, lemongrass oil and thyme oil.
What are some other causes of hair damage?
1. Continuous Stress
There is a long link between stress and hair loss. Telogen effluvium is the type of stress most likely to be linked to hair damage. This type of stress makes your hair follicles go dormant and which causes hair fall.
2. Heat damage
Using a hair straightener, blow dryer or a curling iron. When you use too much heat you can burn your hair follicles and hair strands. You can also damage your cuticle from extreme temperatures. This can cause hair loss and hair thinning.
3. Washing your hair a lot
Some people wash their hair on a daily basis which extracts your natural hair oil sebum. This can cause dryness and dandruff and eventually result in hair fall.
4. Eating Disorders
Not eating a lot of food or not taking in nutrients properly can cause malnourishment, such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. When this happens the hair follicles don’t get enough nutrients and they cannot produce enough hair.
Take Away
You can sleep with wet hair but there should be some precautions taken to do so. If you have weak hair then prevent sleeping with wet hair as it can cause damage.
If you have used all home remedies to prevent your hair from falling, then you need dermatologist recommended products like Minoxidil, Finasteride and many more that you can purchase from our Mars by GHC website.
