Breathing Exercises and Hair Loss
Hair loss can be caused by a number of factors. However, a leading cause of hair loss is undue stress and anxiety that can lead to a chain-like cycle: {worry-poor eating habits-worry-lack of exercise–worry - poor hair care-worry}. Do you see the connection? The need to reduce stress is vital -for not only a healthy body, but essential for hair loss prevention, as well.
What is Stress?
According to Kim Lebowitz, PhD, “Stress is two things. Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Stresses can be positive or negative… Then we also have the way that we respond to that challenge -- that's also called stress.” 1
Why Reduce Stress?
Unhealthy stress is a ‘global epidemic’, states the World Health Organization2. Negative stress can lead to disastrous health consequences, even death. Therefore, the effort to reduce stress will have beneficial results to your health and overall well-being.
Reduce Stress with Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing are extremely beneficial to the body. It not only is a way to reduce stress, which in turn can stop hair loss, but it gives you energy! This type of breathing improves the body’s ability to relax by strengthening the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. It also improves lung function. Try it and you will be able to practice diaphragmatic breathing just about anywhere –even at work.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise
A common diaphragmatic breathing exercise3 is as follows:
- Sit or lie comfortably, with loose garments.
- Put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
- Slowly inhale through your nose.
- Exhale through pursed lips to slow down the exhalation and try to slowly release most air out of the body
- Repeat previous two steps
Alternative Breathing Techniques
Pranayama3 is the study of breath taught in the practice of yoga and Ayurvedic tradition. Prana is defined as: “Life sustaining energy centered in the human brain; the first of the five airs of Ayurvedic philosophy; the life force governing inspiration and the conscious intellect.”4
Breathing Exercises include: Alternative Nostril Breathing, Kapalabhati Breathing, Sitali Breathing and a number of other exercises that help reduce stress of mind and body.
Take good care of your mind and body…your hair will love you for it!
Resources:
1Kim Lebowitz, Ph.D., Director, Behavioral Medicine & Psychologist, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
2Job Stress Network.;unhealthywork.org.
3Wikipedia. Diaphragmatic Breathing. Pranayama.
4 Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine.
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