Sleep Apnea and Hair Loss

So What’s Apnea Got to Do With Hair Loss?


Besides the relentless pounding headaches, daytime fatigue and dry throat, my blood pressure began to soar. Not surprisingly the rate at which my hair was shedding mirrored this surge in blood pressure. Dement paints a more detailed picture:



The high blood pressure that damages blood vessels in the heart, kidneys, brain, and other organs can lead to a long, slow decline in their physical well-being … it is not difficult to imagine the damage to blood vessels that can build up under this hypertension pounding all night, every night, year after year.



Apnea batters blood capillaries that supply nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles. If scalp capillaries become damaged, then so do you chances of healthy hair growth. If you are living with apnea then your scalp isn’t only suffering indirect oxygen starvation through damaged capillaries but also directly – apnea breathlessness can last anywhere from a few seconds to over a minute, and remember this can happen hundreds of times through course of a nights sleep. The climb in blood pressure also has a knock on effect which can be equally as damaging to hair and health.