Introduction
Menopause is a normal and healthy part of aging as a woman. While the process in itself is necessary, it is also accompanied by not so enjoyable signs such as hot flashes, weight gain, irritability, brain fog, and migraines.
Among these symptoms, hair loss is a prevalent issue, especially with women who smoke frequently. In fact, the impact of smoking is so intense, that not only can it exacerbate the issues related to hair loss in menopause but can actually invigorate early menopause.
In today’s article, we’re going to take a look at the relationship between menopause and hair loss, understand how smoking can worsen your hair loss, and see a few lifestyle changes that you can adopt in your life to manage your menopause symptoms and support your hair health.
Understanding The Relationship Between Menopause And Hair Loss
Menopause is marked by the onset of hormonal changes, particularly a decline in estrogen levels. Estrogen is responsible for regulating the female reproductive system. A decrease in this hormone is often associated with hair loss. Moreover, the increased androgen levels in females, often responsible for the development and maintenance of male characteristics, can lead to severe hair loss.
Apart from the changing hormones, factors like excessive stress, an unbalanced diet, and a genetic predisposition to female baldness patterns can also contribute to hair loss during menopause. However, these symptoms can be managed by making some healthy lifestyle changes.
How Does Smoking Impact Hair Loss?
While menopause does have an impact on a person’s hair, smoking is one of the biggest reasons that aggravates the situation of hair loss in women across the globe. The basic compound found in cigarettes is nicotine, which is responsible for constriction of blood vessels in the body, including your hair follicles, leading to hair loss and a limited ability to grow new hair.
Moreover, the microinflammation caused by sustained nicotine use leads to a hair loss condition known as perifollicular fibrosis, which leads to androgenetic alopecia, which is mostly found in males. However, due to the increased androgen in menopause and consistent smoking, it can become a magnifying problem for women. In a nutshell, smoking intensifies hair loss problems in women going through menopause, and worsens all the other symptoms as well.
Lifestyle Changes To Support Hair Health During Menopause
Here are five healthy lifestyle changes that you can incorporate in your life before or when you near the menopause to support your hair health:
Ditch Smoking
The first change on the list has to be the removal of the cause, in essence, your habit of smoking. Studies have shown that quitting smoking during or before smoking can drastically impact the quality of your life and regulate the symptoms of hair loss associated with menopause. In essence, quitting smoking can increase the blood flow to your scalp by reducing the amount of oxidative stress, helping with optimum regrowth of hair. The practice also helps stabilize the hormonal balance in your body and supports the production of antioxidants, which can drastically reduce inflammation in your body.
Here are some ways to make the process of quitting smoking easier for you:
- Use prescription medications like Zyban and Champix for smoking cessation. These medications can drastically reduce the nicotine cravings that you feel, making it easier for you to quit smoking.
- Understand the reason behind your urge to smoke. Does stress trigger it, or being around certain people who also smoke makes you want to smoke too? Creating a plan around how to omit or manage the triggers can help you avoid smoking.
- Find the right people to keep you accountable during your journey. You can also adopt some healthy physical habits like exercising to take the edge off as you start to feel the withdrawal symptoms.
Start With Your Diet
The first step towards managing your hair loss as an avid smoker nearing menopause is to focus on eating mindfully. Your diet has the potential to not only reduce your hair loss but also regulate other symptoms of your menopause. To target hair loss, add more Omega-3 rich foods in your diet. Some common examples include chia seeds, avocados, and fatty fishes like salmon and mackerel.
Here are some other suggestions to balance out your diet in order to make your menopause easier to manage:
- Make sure that you’re consuming five small meals a day, all of which meet your body’s need for fiber, carbohydrates, protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
- Keep your body hydrated and learn to listen to your body. Pick food items that help you feel your best, add to your energy levels, and improve your mood.
- Cut back on processed foods as much as possible. Any types of sugary drinks, trans fats, alcohol, caffeine, and highly spiced foods should be avoided as they can worsen your symptoms, especially the hot flashes.
Incorporate Some Exercise
Since bone density gets negatively impacted during menopause, it’s integral to incorporate a combination of aerobic exercises and strength training into your routine. Not only can exercise reduce your risk of injuries by increasing your flexibility, but it can also be helpful in circulation of blood throughout the body, including the hair follicles, improving your hair health.
If you’re new to exercise, here are some tips for you to begin your fitness journey as a menopausal smoker:
- If you’re starting with strength training, always go for lighter weights to build your body’s resistance against the risk of injuries. Once you’ve mastered bodyweight and weight lifting exercises, move on to heavier weights to tone your body.
- A combination of strength training and aerobic/cardiovascular training is essential to build a healthy body. Devote at least two to three hours a week to aerobic exercises such as dancing, swimming, and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to keep your heart rate up.
- Make sure to include some restorative exercises in your routine to help relax your body. Yoga, meditation, and Pilates are some of the best options to practice. You can also include pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and manage symptoms like urinary incontinence.
Say Nay To Stress
Stress has the power to influence your overall well-being, including your habits and the consequential hair loss. Telogen Effluvium is a hair fall condition that leads to excessive hair loss and is often associated with high cortisol, aka stress hormones. In fact, staying in or experiencing stressful situations on a regular basis can impact the hormones in your body, which can amplify the symptoms associated with menopause and hair fall. High stress might also encourage you to smoke more than usual, worsening your situation.
Here are three no-nonsense tips to manage your stress levels during menopause:
- Feeling a certain amount of anxiety during menopause is normal. However, if you feel that the symptoms are overpowering your daily life and your mental health is suffering, reach out to a professional counselor to find the right way to manage your stress.
- Taking out time to connect with your loved ones, be it hanging out with your friends or spending quality time with your family. You can even choose to take a solo trip to give yourself a break from the daily stresses of life and enjoy your time.
- Find new interests and take up hobbies that help you feel connected and engaged. Being curious about your surroundings and life, outside of work, whether it’s through exercising, crocheting, or pottery can help you manage your stress.
Optimize Your Sleep
Last but not least, follow a healthy sleeping schedule in line with your circadian rhythm. Adopting healthy sleeping habits can help you protect your energy, make menopause easier to navigate, and also contribute to your overall health including any hair loss concerns. Since sleep disruptions due to night sweat and hot flashes are a part of the menopausal process, which can often be exacerbated by smoking, learning how to manage your body’s response to sleeping and waking up can help you have more control over your journey.
Here are some effective ways to optimize your sleep as a menopausal smoker:
- Since menopause is a time of emotional and physical exhaustion, focus on establishing a sleep schedule that works in tandem with your bodily needs. To put yourself in the habit of sleeping at the same time everyday, create a night time routine, such as doing your skincare routine or reading a book.
- A diet rich in tryptophan or the melatonin producing hormone will make your sleep interruption free. Enjoying a glass of milk before bed or eating a banana can help with a deep sleep.
- Ensure that your sleep space is free of all distractions like phones and TVs. You can also use heavy blinds, a white noise machine, and eye masks to relax your senses. Make sure to sleep in comfortable clothes that are breathable to regulate your body temperature.
What’s Next?
The first step towards managing your hair loss as a menopausal smoker is to understand the underlying connection between smoking, hair loss, and menopause. Once you’re able to point out the culprits for your hair loss, you must proactively manage your symptoms by eating, sleeping, and exercising right.
It’s also essential to stay away from stress and smoking to support your overall health. In the meantime, however, you don’t have to wait to look your best. The thinning hairline fillers by Stranded Hair Extensions are there to make you look and feel your best. Since thinning of hair is a gradual process and you will need time to make changes to your lifestyle, and even more to see the results, having the right hair extensions that match your hair color and type is the easiest way to manage your hair loss during menopause.
