subject: How Stress Effects Your Hair [print this page] Stress is one of those unavoidable elements in life that has been known to trigger odd reactions in the body, skin, sleep patterns, eating habits and even the way your hair looks.
Have you ever heard a parent state they got all their gray hairs from having kids? The fact is, this statement is more than likely true. Raising a family is busy, exhausting and often leaves a parent riddled with anxiety. This type of daily stress impacts the natural functions of the body, such as hormones and cell generation, which in turn, can effect the pigment producing compounds that give your hair its colour. If the production of colour is interfered with, which often occurs with excess stress levels, then your hair will lose it's colour.
So, yes your kids may indeed give you gray hair!
Of-course, you can reduce the damaging effects of high stress levels by making an effort to take care of your health. Making sure you eat a well balanced diet, means you need more than a quick cup of coffee in the morning while you rush out the door. Speaking of caffeine, try to cut back on the evening doses so your body will get a full and proper eight hours of sleep.
A little exercise that gets your heart pumping followed by some deep breathing exercises are a great way to alleviate the pressures of the day. Clearing the clutter from your mind will leave you feeling and looking relaxed and able to take on another day.
While you can't remove all stress from your life, keeping it under control will allow your body to do its job of keeping cells regenerating and hormones balanced. While heredity plays a part in the loss of hair colour, stress only serves to accelerate the process. So if you're serious about avoiding prematurely graying hair, you'll just have to learn to relax once in a while, and stop worrying about the spilled milk.
