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Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

cuimc.columbia.edu

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Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#81

Post by twodave »

nus07 wrote: post #59
twodave wrote: post #54

My hair started graying pretty much as soon as I graduated from college. It makes a lot of sense now. Around the same time, I: - bought a house (in 2007, yeesh) - got married - started my first job (which at the time felt like drinking out of a fire hose) Shortly after, my wife and I went through the stress of trying and failing to get pregnant. Then infertility treatments for several months. Then my wife had surgery…

That is incredibly brave of you to share that and overcome all that. I had a similar time of buying our first house, starting a new job, having a baby and then losing a parent all within a space of 3-4 months just before the pandemic lockdown started. I lost a lot of my hair instead and now have a bald spot. Also lot of junk food and alcohol. Somehow I would have liked to keep my hair even if it turned gray :)

Thanks for the kind words. The most important thing I've learned is to just take the next step. If I can figure out whatever that next step should be, then I can focus on just that and the rest doesn't stress me so much.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#82

Post by twodave »

ipaddr wrote: post #64
twodave wrote: post #54

My hair started graying pretty much as soon as I graduated from college. It makes a lot of sense now. Around the same time, I: - bought a house (in 2007, yeesh) - got married - started my first job (which at the time felt like drinking out of a fire hose) Shortly after, my wife and I went through the stress of trying and failing to get pregnant. Then infertility treatments for several months. Then my wife had surgery…

It feels like so many people in North America are struggling with infertility. It is one of those topics that have been deemed too taboo to talk about which is infortunate.

For us this was true until we'd experienced it and started talking about it publicly. It turns out we have a lot of friends and acquaintances who were willing to open up with us once they knew they weren't alone. Like in many other struggles, having a common bond with others makes it easier to bear.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#83

Post by thrav »

mattlondon wrote: post #79

Hmm this might explain why I pluck the odd grey hair, only to find that it is only grey at the oldest end, and the newer hair is back to normal colour. So the hair stopped being grey halfway through growing... Less stress?

This happened in my (31yo) beard, which allowed me to watch it shift grey and back in a short time, and it absolutely coincided with ~3 months of work where I was killing myself, and went away when I took 2 steps back and resumed riding my bike outside a few times a week.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#85

Post by fernandotakai »

over the past few years, my stress levels have been climbing, never to the point of "turning my hair grey".

but then, the pandemic hit + more work related stress and now my beard has a ton of grey hair. also, finding more and more grey hair in my head daily.

i always thought it was just... you know, getting older but it literally started appearing all of sudden.

it's nice to know it's not "just" an age thing.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#86

Post by thrav »

BatteryMountain wrote: post #60

My beard got a nice gray patch during 2018.. near the end of that year I ate 5g psilocybin and over the next 3 months all my gray bread hairs disappeared, and still until today I haven't had a single gray hair in my beard again. Can anyone explain that? Early thirties, no health issues, overall normal body.

Mental lightness. Not sweating certain stuff in the same way. Less unproductive dwelling. All things I experienced after a trip that would account for that.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#87

Post by long_time_gone »

thrav wrote: post #80
ipaddr wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels like so many people in North America are struggling with infertility. It is one of those topics that have been deemed too taboo to talk about which is infortunate.

It’s talked about in small circles, but not broadly. Anecdotally, my wife and one of her friends are the only people I know who quickly conceived and had a child without issue over 30. My very close friend and his wife gave up after years of treatments. My sister and her husband are coming up on years of unsuccessful treatments. Several of my wife’s close friends either required treatments, have lost one or more preg…

==The people who are more financially stable and on the same page seem to have the easiest time. ==

How does this square with people getting unsuccessful treatments? Wouldn't you have to be pretty financially stable and "on the same page" to afford fertility treatments?

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#88

Post by varispeed »

monk_e_boy wrote: post #45
pasxizeis wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Almost a year and a half later, after leaving that job, I took the pandemic to really focus on my stress levels and be happier (I am). Do you mind sharing any particular advice on how to do this?

Naps! Seriously, listen to your mind and your body. If it needs sleep, give it some. It it requires painting or dancing, do it!

I got an advice from a renowned psychiatrist to avoid naps at all cost. He was the fan of sleep fuel theory, where if you nap during the day, you'll lose sleep fuel and won't be able to have fully restorative sleep at night. It is important to pick a time in the morning and always wake up at that time no matter what. After a few weeks you'll get your sleep pattern right and won't need any naps etc.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#89

Post by poidos »

I kind of like my gray hairs.

I first noticed them (and assumed they were from stress) the summer after high school -- back then, it was a single, stark-white hair that popped up. I was certainly stressed in undergrad and then grad school, but I didn't feel horribly so while going through it, though I do have more than one now. :)

I understand the vanity aspect of dying them away, but that never resonated with me -- it seems like one of the few dignified parts of aging.

Re: Stress does turn hair gray, and it’s reversible

#90

Post by lowdest »

41209 wrote: post #11

The health effects of stress are pretty insane, I actually had to stop hacker ranking the other day because I noticed my blood pressure would shoot up by about 10 points. No faang offer is worth dropping dead

You can practice until the nerves are gone. I've been doing Leetcode weekly competitions, after a while it's just another timed coding challenge.

I've noticed training cardio helps me handle anxiety better, both because I can better handle the physical effects when they arise, and the training itself removes anxiety I'm feeling at that moment.

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