Will Sleeping on One Side Cause Hair Loss?

If you’re starting to notice hair loss more on one side of your head than on the other, it’s natural to wonder whether your sleeping position can be affecting this. Are you accelerating your hair loss by sleeping on your favorite side every night, and should you force yourself to alternate sleeping positions each night? Can sleeping on one side cause hair loss?

The short answer is no. Pattern baldness is not caused by sleeping on your side.

Your follicles are actually preprogrammed in their DNA to grow (and, unfortunately, shed) in their own unique way. Lying on one side of your head won’t affect that programming. It doesn’t matter whether you usually sleep on your side, on your back, or on your stomach. Since your hair follicles aren’t impacted by the position in which you sleep, you don’t need to worry about damaging them or causing hair loss.

So What Does Cause Hair Loss?

Hair loss or baldness is a genetic trait. But, contradicting what you might have heard, it’s not necessarily passed down from your maternal grandfather. Baldness genes are actually passed down from both sides of the family — and they affect hair loss in women as well as men. Baldness genes may also skip generations and are completely random in terms of which siblings (male or female) they affect. They can even have different effects on siblings in the same family.

Male pattern baldness (otherwise known as androgenetic alopecia) is a result of a combination of factors, including your age, hormones, and genes. It occurs when your hair follicles are sensitive to the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. Over time, your DHT-sensitive hair (usually found on the top and front of your head) can become weaker and finer, and it can eventually stop growing.

DHT-Resistant Hair

If you’re suffering from male or female pattern baldness, the good news is that not all of your hair is sensitive to DHT. Even if you have advanced hair loss, you likely still have healthy hair follicles around the sides of your head. These hair follicles are actually resistant to DHT, which means they can survive for a lifetime. In a hair transplant, these healthy hairs from the sides and back of your head are moved to the front and top to improve your appearance.

Hair Restoration Options

If you’re worried about hair loss affecting your appearance, you’re not alone. However, whether you’re just noticing your hair loss and want to keep it from getting worse or you already have advanced hair loss, there are options for you.

To learn more about your hair restoration options, download Bosley’s FREE guidebook, The Complete Book on Hair Restoration, to see how great your hair can look. Or schedule a free consultation with a Bosley specialist today.