It’s a stark warning, leaving your house or going to bed with wet hair can cause a cold and lead to a sore throat, runny nose, and irritating cough. This is especially true in the cold, winter months. But, can thisreally cause you to develop a cold? And will this always be the case? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
Is It Harmful to Go to Bed With Wet Hair?
If you are sleeping in a warm environment, then going to bed with wet hairwill most likely not be harmful. If the room you sleep within is at a cold temperature, then problems can arise, as your scalp will loose a large amount of heat energy.
There have been many tests conducted to try and determine whether wet hair and low temperature can actually be the cause of a cold, which any medical profession will tell you is caused by a virus. The results of the studies conducted vary, some showing that those who have been dampened and exposed to cold temperatures developed a cold, some tests showing the opposite.
As the common cold is caught by a virus, it would seem unlikely that going to bed with wet hair in cold temperatures will cause a cold, although there is some evidence to suggest that it can make you more susceptible to the virus. A theory to back this idea is that when you body becomes chilled, the blood vessels in your nose and throat restrict, meaning they are not as easily accessible by the infection-fighting white blood cells in your body. This means your immunity to the common cold will be reduced, until the constriction eases.
Advice for your health:
It would be best advisable to avoid going to bed with wet hair if your bedroom is cold, as although it will not directly cause any symptoms of a cold, it can make your body more susceptible to the cold virus. Also do not go to bed with dripping wet hair. At least wrap and drain the water with a towel first.
Personal Experiences
Also whether or not this practice is harmful depends on your own body and your immunity, and when it comes to that, everybody is different:
“Going to bed with wet hair makes sleeping uncomfortable for me,the mess of damp hair makes it impossible for me to sleep, so I generally avoid it for this reason. But on the occasion where I did go to bed with wet hair, I thought nothing of my parents’ warnings. I went to bed with my hair wet, I woke up with a sore throat. And not a slight sore throat that can be attributed to dryness in the morning, but a painfully sore throat that lasts a couple of days”
“Sleeping with wet hair has caused me frizz, and sometimes breakage. If going to bed with wet hair is unavoidable, I would advise letting it dry a bit first, as going to bed with damp hair will have a less damaging effect than with wet hair.”
“Hair is fragile when wet, so going to sleep with wet hair, and moving around in your sleep, can lead to breakage. What I do if I’ve washed my hair before bed is use a thin micro towel to squeeze as much of the moisture from my hair as possible.”
“I like to shower at night time, meaning that I often go to bed with damp hair. I avoid going to bed with wet hair by towel-drying my hair after my shower, and spraying it with a leave-in conditioner. I have been doing this for many years and the integrity of my hair has not suffered”
Styling Tips for Going to Bed With Wet Hair
1. Making Waves
If your hair is wet by bed time, try flipping your head upside down and blow drying it with a hair dryer until your hair is damp. Next, create four loose buns out of twisted hair and secure them with a hair band. Go to bed, and when you wake up in the morning and remove the hair bands, your hair should be full of wonderful waves. The important thing to remember is to keep it loose and messy, imperfection is key when styling your hair before bed.
2. Braiding
Braiding your damp hair before going to bed can lead to luscious locks upon awakening in the morning. Remove the braids and shake out your hair, the results will be gorgeous hair, which you attained in your sleep.
3. Plopping
This strangely named technique involves flipping your head and piling your damp hair on the top of your scalp, then wrapping it tightly with a microfiber towel. When you awake, remove the towel and fluff your hair for an easily achieved, beautiful look.
4. The Scrunchie/Sock Technique
To avoid your hair creasing whilst you sleep, loosely tie your hair atop of your head with a Scrunchie and secure into a bun. If you do not own a Scrunchie, then you can use a sock instead, simply by cutting off the top and using it as a hair tie.
5. Change Your Bedding
If you want your hair to remain straight whilst you sleep, then consider changing your bedding to silk, to ensure your hair stays smooth and straight. The silk fabric glides across your hair whilst you sleep, reducing friction that other types of bedding cause.