How Are Stress and Hair Loss Related

Hair loss takes two forms: shedding hair in excessive amounts, and hair follicles becoming dormant and not growing new hairs. In the case of pattern baldness in men and women, the follicles stop producing hair. There are numerous causes of excessive hair shedding, and both physiological and emotional stress can cause hair loss. Whereas pattern baldness can only be treated with medications, stress related hair loss is usually a reversible condition.
Hair Shedding
At any given time, about 10% to 15% of the hairs on your head are in a resting phase, known as the telogen phase. They are not growing during this phase, but they are not falling out either. The telogen phase typically lasts between two and four months. At the conclusion of the telogen phase, the hair follicle enters the anagen phase, during which time new hair grows. The new hair growing in pushes out the old one, causing what is commonly referred to as shedding. Most people lose an average of 100 hairs from shedding per day with no noticeable thinning. Hair loss becomes noticeable when a larger number of hair follicles than is normal enter the telogen phase or when the telogen phase lasts longer than normal. Stress in various forms can cause either, or both, of these to occur.
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen Effluvium is one of the most common causes of hair loss due to excessive shedding, and numerous stressors can cause this condition. There are several types of TE. The most common type of TE occurs when the body experiences a shock that puts a larger than normal number of hair follicles in the resting phase. When the anagen cycle begins, excessive hair shedding occurs, as much more than the normal 10% to 15% or hairs were resting. TE in a second form can cause the hair follicles to remain in the resting phase for a longer than normal period of time. This means that when the growing cycle resumes, the follicles in normal stages of new growth as well as those that have been resting for a long time will be lost at around the same time.
Both forms of TE can cause noticeable hair loss. Shocks, or stressors, to the body that can cause TE include a serious illness, severe injury, pregnancy, an extremely high fever, an operation, chronic insomnia, or a diet that severely restricts calories. Whereas most of these causes of stress are physiological, emotional stress can play a role as well. For example, emotional stress may result in a person not eating or sleeping well for weeks at a time, which can shock the body.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is a condition that causes large amounts of hair to fall out within a short period of time, causing very visible bald spots. Alopecia Areata is believed to be a disorder of the immune system that causes white blood cells to attack and destroy hair cells. The attack usually occurs in patches rather than randomly throughout the hair, which accounts for the bald spots. In some cases, all of the hair on a person's head can be lost, and body hair can be affected as well.
As with TE, a shock to the body is usually the cause of Alopecia Areata. Stressors include a serious illness or injury, or a high fever. While physiological causes are usually responsible for most cases of TE, emotional stress is responsible for many cases of Alopecia Areata. Stress weakens the immune system to a degree that its responses may become faulty, as is the case with Alopecia Areata.

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