Sleep loss and Alopecia Areata
I've had Alopecia Areata for about ten years. I believe it was initially triggered by intense stress when my mother died a month before my wedding. My entire beard fell out, eyelashes, eyebrows, and spots in my hair and body. Over the past two years I've discovered a direct connection between AA and mild sleep loss. I need at least 7 hours to feel right. If I consistently get less (i.e. for two weeks or more), I start to feel a stress reaction in my body. Sure enough, my eyebrows, eyelashes, and beard start to fall out.
My theory is that sleep loss leads to a stress reaction in the body that initiates the autoimmune response. I've observed this pattern for over two years now and am sure this is the cause in my case, so I wanted to share.
