stress is the main cause for hair loss

stress is the main cause for my hair loss..last two, three days i experiences some really severe stress because of work...
and my scalp is feeling terrible...i  really feel my head stinging/burning on my right side now no matter what i put on my head to clean the scalp...before i was feeling that stining but if i put some onion that feeling disappeared...now nothing is working

i am starting to be bald on one side of my head...the other side is still ok..

I experienced the same hair loss on one side around 7 or 8 years ago...at that time i was balding on the left side...now is the right side...at that time 7 years ago when i was around 23 I started taking propecia and worked really well and i got my hair back..then around 3 or 4 years ago i stoped with propecia...but in spite of that i didnt experience hair loss...now im balding again after 4 years of stoping taking propecia...btw 7 years ago when i was balding i didnt feel this stinging/burning on my scalp..

lets see if i can start managing better stress and get some new regrowing new hair

I guess we are losing much more hair days or weeks after the days that we experience the severe stress..

Try dabbing the inflamed area with some cool water. This normally helps when I have inflammation of the scalp.

I have a high stress job as well. I'm looking into some Heart Rate Variability stuff to keep stress under control.

I always plan to start meditating but never do. It takes so much effort and I get more restless and annoyed when meditating.

BTW OP do you get enough sleep after you have finished work? I remember when I had a severely inflamed scalp from too much stress at work, but as soon as I got home I started going to sleep very early, as extra rest seemed to have an anti-inflammatory effect on my scalp. This is likely due to the anti-inflammatory / anti-oxidant effects of melatonin.

Those extra hours of sleep (in a ventilated and dark room) really do make all that difference.

Here's something that might be of interest to you:

Antiinflammatory Activity of Melatonin in Central Nervous System

Melatonin is mainly produced in the mammalian pineal gland during the dark phase. Its secretion from the pineal gland has been classically associated with circadian and circanual rhythm regulation. However, melatonin production is not confined exclusively to the pineal gland, but other tissues including retina, Harderian glands, gut, ovary, testes, bone marrow and lens also produce it. Several studies have shown that melatonin reduces chronic and acute inflammation. The immunomodulatory properties of melatonin are well known; it acts on the immune system by regulating cytokine production of immunocompetent cells. Experimental and clinical data showing that melatonin reduces adhesion molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines and modifies serum inflammatory parameters. As a consequence, melatonin improves the clinical course of illnesses which have an inflammatory etiology. Moreover, experimental evidence supports its actions as a direct and indirect antioxidant, scavenging free radicals, stimulating antioxidant enzymes, enhancing the activities of other antioxidants or protecting other antioxidant enzymes from oxidative damage. Several encouraging clinical studies suggest that melatonin is a neuroprotective molecule in neurodegenerative disorders where brain oxidative damage has been implicated as a common link. In this review, the authors examine the effect of melatonin on several neurological diseases with inflammatory components, including dementia, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and brain ischemia/reperfusion but also in traumatic CNS injuries (traumatic brain and spinal cord injury)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001216/

P.S. cleansing the scalp after work also has a huge anti-inflammatory effect, as stress can cause a build up of lactic acid which can linger on the scalp from sweat, not to mention other inflammatory substances that can accumulate in sebum.

And try not to sleep on the inflamed area either because pillow fabric can rub against it and aggravate it worse.

falling asleep while stressed is impossible. just constantly thinking of all the shit you have to do. or what you should have done etc.

stresssucks wrote:I have a high stress job as well. I'm looking into some Heart Rate Variability stuff to keep stress under control.

I always plan to start meditating but never do. It takes so much effort and I get more restless and annoyed when meditating.

sometimes i do little mini meditation sessions like i just watch my breath for 2 minutes or so after a while i find it pays really of on keeping my equilibrium.

otherwise meditation is not the only way to relieve stress

i find Progressive Muscle Relaxation helps and can be done easily while working on a desk

also just doing fun things or some kind of engaging activity you like reduces stress

Nice post, Xenon. The sleep thing is so absolutely critical for so many reasons, one of which is the melatonin. But that also brings into play our sleep environment, which is so totally fucked for most of us anymore. All of the lights and devices we all have going in our homes: tvs, room lights, cell phones, laptops...the electromagnetic pollution is staggering.

I think meditation, like alpha is suggesting, is a really powerful tool that has either lost touch with most of society, or has been belittled by the hipster-wannabe-pseudospirtualist crowd into something it is not. Learning to do it right is a process, and I haven't even got it down. But to me, even just taking that time to sit back, become nothing and be conscious of your breathing, its so vital.

I agree with the consensus that stress is our ultimate problem. But we've got it coming from all avenues. We have oxidative stress from multiple sources and then the psychological stress atop that, which translates into more oxidative stress. Unfortunately the psychological component is the most difficult to control.

I believe the psychological stress is the absolute hardest to deal with. Had my father commit suicide back in 2012 and I'm still reaping all the wonderful benefits the stress has to offer. It's really fun, actually.

Growdamnit,

Man thats damn awful. I'm really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately my father passing was what kickstarted my loss, and a whole depressed spiral of life for a couple of years. Suicide is a different thing altogether. I'll spare you all the stay strong bullshit. I hope things are working out okay for ya though man, and you're finding good ways of getting on and support systems to help you stay focused. I imagine thats tough as hell.

I know in my case I did about everything wrong that you can possibly do wrong. Alcoholism is easy when you are feeling numb like that. I always wish I could go back and do it again with the maturity level I have now, but it doesn't really make any sense because it was going through that that made me mature.

Thanks a lot, dude, but I have no other option than to move on. I just really hope I can figure out this whole hair fiasco before I lose it.