We’ve all heard from our elders that sleeping with wet hair is a bad idea. While it might be dismissed as an old wives’ tale, there are actually several valid reasons why you should avoid this habit. Not only can it increase the risk of catching a cold, but it can also damage your hair and even lead to fungal infections.
Let’s delve into why it’s best to keep your hair dry before hitting the hay.
1. It Could Cause Severe Hair Breakage
Your hair is at its weakest when it’s wet. This means leaving it wet while you sleep makes it more prone to breakage. As you toss and turn throughout the night, the friction can cause your hair to snap much more easily than if it were dry.
You might think letting your hair air dry is better than applying heat, but is it really?
2. It Can Make You Sick
Sleeping with wet hair can make you feel colder, especially if you’re using an air conditioner or if it’s wintertime. This increased chill can ultimately make you feel under the weather.
3. You Will Spend More Time Styling Your Hair
When you go to bed with wet hair, you have no control over how it will look come morning. This often means more time spent taming and styling your hair to get it presentable for the day.
4. Worsens Your Immune System
Though you won’t catch a virus just by having wet hair, sleeping with it can indeed weaken your immune system. A weakened immune system means you’re more likely to catch a cold or flu.
5. It Can Lead to Bacteria Growth
The combination of warmth and moisture is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When you sleep with wet hair, this moisture seeps into your pillow, allowing bacteria to flourish. Changing pillow covers won’t help much because the moisture can penetrate deep into the pillow.
6. Can Cause Dandruff
A moist scalp disrupts the sebaceous glands, causing them to either overproduce or underproduce oil. This imbalance can upset the natural pH balance of your scalp, leading to dandruff or an excessively oily scalp.
7. Makes Your Hair Dull
Water from your wet hair gets absorbed by your pillow, taking away the natural oils from your hair. Without these oils, your hair will look dull and dehydrated. Remember, dry hair and hair dehydrated of natural oils are not the same.
8. Wet Hair Can Cause Fungal Infections
Sleeping with wet hair increases the likelihood of developing fungal infections on your scalp. These infections can lead to conditions like dermatitis and dandruff because yeast thrives in warm, moist environments.
9. It’ll Give You Acne
A bacteria-laden pillow can cause acne breakouts. Drying your hair before bed helps to keep your skin clear.
10. Can Cause Hair Loss
Believe it or not, going to bed with wet hair can lead to hair loss, and even scalp ringworm, a type of fungal infection. It’s highly contagious, so be sure to wash anything that comes into contact with your scalp. Growing long hair is better than losing it!
What You Should Do Instead
While sleeping with wet hair might save you a bit of time, it’s not worth the risks. Here are some things you can do to avoid the problems listed above:
– Wash your hair 2-3 hours before bedtime so it has enough time to dry.– Use a blow dryer if washing your hair at night.– Sleep on a silk pillowcase to reduce friction and prevent hair breakage.