How To Sleep After A Hair Transplant
Hair loss is not a simple experience and can be emotionally taxing. However, with hair transplant surgeries, you can feel better about yourself. Follicular unit extraction FUE, and Follicular unit transplant (FUT), is the technique of transplanting follicular units containing one or more hair roots. This grows into a natural-looking hairline. Hair surgical procedures can provide a permanent solution to hair loss, but you have to choose an experienced and qualified surgeon.
Hair transplant surgeries can take a lot out of you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Therefore, it is important to get enough sleep for a fast recovery. If you do not do this, your body may have more difficulty recovering from surgery and the healing process may be affected.
The time you should sleep after your hair transplant surgery will vary from person to person. If you are healthy, and it was a standard procedure with local anesthesia, the recovery process may be faster. Some of the other types of procedures can take longer.
Why is Sleeping Position Important After a Hair Transplant?
Sleeping is an important part of your life, but it's also one of the main reasons why your hair falls out. Lying down causes pressure on the head and scalp that causes hair to loosen and fall off. The more you sleep, the more the hair is damaged. This can cause you to endure stress because you're losing healthy hair and worrying about newly transplanted hair breaking off at the root. The risk of infection and pain is also high when you fail to make the right sleeping position after a hair transplant.
Make Sure Your Sheets and Pillowcases Are Clean
Unclean sheets and pillowcases make you feel dirty and cause your hair to break off. Hair naturally builds up dirt, oil, and other substances that can damage the hair shaft. Hair washing is very important for those undergoing treatments such as hair transplantation. They have to make sure that any heavy products such as hairsprays and gels are completely washed out. If the donor area and the hair follicles are not entirely hydrated, it won't be easy to get a good result. If you have pets it is important to be sure they are not sleeping on your clean sheets after a surgical procedure. This can predispose you to some bacterial infections the pet may carry.
Place a Soft Dark Towel Over Your Pillows
During the healing process, your newly transplanted hair follicles are vulnerable to damage, and you wouldn't want to cause damage to them before they even have a chance to start growing. The impact of gravity can pull your new hair out of the roots, and the trauma of rolling over in bed can cause hair breakage. Minimize staining by covering the pillow with a dark towel.
Sleep With Your Head and Back Elevated
Sleeping positions are important for several reasons. The first reason is to decrease the hair fallout that naturally occurs. However, you want also to make sure that elevation of your head and back helps with blood flow to your new hair. This will help give it the nutrients it needs and prevent it from breaking off prematurely. The best position is on your side, with your head resting on a pillow or folded pillowcase with the back of your head elevated. This will keep the hair follicles alive and healthy while you sleep through the night.
Avoid Sleeping on Your Stomach
When you sleep on your stomach, you put your head into the same position that causes hair fallout. You're also putting pressure on your head because there is no elevated back support. Sleeping on your stomach can cause blood circulation to stop and lead to premature hair loss and breakage. The recipient area of your transplant could also become infected because you can accidentally lay on it and get the fluid out of the incision.
Protect Your Scalp from Hitting Your Headboard
The scalp and forehead are very sensitive and can bruise easily. When your head hits the headboard in your sleep, you could bruise the skin and cause damage to the hair follicles. It's better to place a small pillow between your head and the headboard for protection. This will also help avoid pressure points as you sleep in that area.
Maintain a Regular, Healthy Sleep Pattern
It would be best if you were sleeping regularly each night and try to maintain eight hours of sleep, at least seven in a row, for three months. The body requires sleep for proper growth, maintenance, and repair. Sleep is also essential if you're recovering from a scalp or forehead surgery because it allows the healing to occur efficiently without issues.
Returning to Normal Sleep Habits
To get back to sleeping naturally, you should go back to sleeping in a "normal" position and end at the same time each night. Avoid waking up the next day and starting your day off with a shower because it can cause damage to your head and scalp. You also want to be sure you aren't having any other issues that can cause hair loss or breakage of your new hair.
Final Thoughts
Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your head and the backboard of your bed is a great start. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended because it can cause the blood circulation on your head to stop. It will help if you have clean sheets and pillowcases because they contain dirt and oil that can cause damage to the hair follicle. Lastly, you should maintain a regular sleep pattern, avoiding in-between sleep days as much as possible.
