Hair Loss and Premature Graying
Did you know that the average person will shed about 100 hairs from their head every single day? That is the normal amount. People who are stressed, however, will often shed a lot more. The shower drain might be clogged with shed hair, and every time you run a comb through it, you wonder how you have not gone bald yet. The reason for this hair loss is due to the effect stress has on the hair follicles. Stressful events like losing a loved one or your job will cause androgens, a type of hormone, to spike, and this affects the follicles, leading to hair loss.
Also, it is true what they say about stress giving you gray hair. While this is also connected to your genes, the onset of graying hair can be premature if you undergo too much stress early on in life. Stress will cause white blood cells to attack the follicles and halt growth. The follicles are put into a resting phase, and that can sometimes lead to graying and hair loss.
Furthermore, some people who are overwrought with stress will develop a disorder known as trichotillomania, which is the irresistible need to tear hair from ones scalp, eyebrows, or other parts of the body.
