How Sleep Deprivation Impact On Your Immunity

Insomnia and sleep deprivation are closely related but are not the same. Chronic sleep deprivation is a condition of consistently insufficient sleep over an extended period forming a continuous pattern of inadequate sleep.  Here the individual consistently gets less sleep than needed for their age and health requirements. It can result from lifestyle choices, work demands, medical conditions, mental health issues, or environmental factors. Every human being experiences sleep deprivation at some point in their life. 

Yes, a lack of sleep can contribute to hair loss. Estrogen promotes the hair follicle growth (anagen) phase and melatonin helps biological rhythms and sleep-wake cycles. Not getting enough sleep can mess with your body's hormones such as estrogen and melatonin

Chronic stress, late-night blue light from screens, and untreated insomnia increase the production of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt the hair growth cycle, pushing hair follicles into a premature shedding phase. Sleep deprivation also weakens the immune system, which potentially exacerbates autoimmune conditions like alopecia areata, causing shedding. 

Bedtime is an important factor in maintaining skin health. Regular late bedtime damages the skin barrier and skin structure and reduces the diversity and composition of the facial bacterial microbiome.  It also increases stress (physical and emotional) and the cortisol levels in the body shoot up causing overactive sebaceous glands in the skin. This cortisol surge could put you at risk for more acne.

Late sleep also promotes inflammation, which increases acne and the existing breakouts worse. Poor sleep quality can weaken the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight off bacteria that cause acne. Sleeping late can also cause poor food habits and skincare, which ultimately degrades skin health.