After a long day, I used to shower and go to bed with wet hair, thinking it was harmless. But over time, I noticed more breakage and scalp issues. Now, I make it a point to let my hair dry completely before bed, protecting my hair’s health and strength.

Showering at night is often a relaxing way to unwind and wash off the day. However, going to bed with wet hair may carry risks for your hair health that many overlook. While it may be convenient, experts suggest avoiding this habit to prevent hair breakage and scalp issues. Below, we explore the potential consequences of sleeping with wet hair and share tips for a perfect nighttime hair care routine.

Risks of Sleeping on Wet Hair

Hair Breakage

When your hair is wet, it’s more elastic and fragile, making it prone to breakage. Wet hair is more susceptible to stretching and snapping, especially if you toss and turn while sleeping. The friction between wet hair and your pillow can lead to significant hair damage over time, resulting in split ends and broken strands.

Although it’s tempting to sleep with wet hair to save time, dermatologists strongly recommend allowing it to dry fully before bed. Using a blow dryer or air drying your hair can help prevent unnecessary breakage. If time is a concern, consider washing your hair earlier in the evening to give it enough time to dry naturally.

Scalp Issues

In addition to hair breakage, sleeping with wet hair can create an environment conducive to bacterial and fungal infections. A warm, moist scalp promotes the growth of bacteria and yeast, leading to conditions such as bacterial folliculitis (small bumps or pustules) or seborrheic dermatitis (an itchy, flaky scalp rash).

The presence of Malassezia yeast on the scalp, often worsened by dampness, can lead to dandruff or more severe itching. Similarly, Candida yeast, another fungal agent, may cause scalp itchiness or even blisters. These infections are not only uncomfortable but can exacerbate existing scalp issues.

Respiratory Concerns

Sleeping on wet hair can also pose a risk to your respiratory health, as damp pillows and bedding can encourage mold growth. Though it’s unlikely that sleeping with wet hair will directly cause respiratory illnesses, mold spores can irritate your airways, especially for those with allergies or asthma.

4-Step Nighttime Haircare Routine

Step 1- Dry Your Hair Before Bed

The most straightforward way to protect your hair is to make sure it's dry before you sleep. Try washing your hair earlier in the evening to give it ample time to air dry, or consider using a blow dryer on a low heat setting to avoid disturbing others at night.

Step 2- Use a Silk Pillowcase

Switching to a silk or satin pillowcase can help reduce the friction between your hair and your pillow. While no conclusive studies prove silk pillowcases prevent hair breakage, they are gentler on hair than traditional cotton pillowcases and can help minimize damage.

Step 3- Tie Your Hair Loosely

If you have long hair, tie it up in a loose scrunchie or hair tie before bed to keep it secure. Avoid tight hairstyles, which can place stress on your roots and increase the risk of breakage. Opt for fabric hair ties instead of elastic bands to reduce tension on your strands.

Step 4- Wear a Satin Head Scarf

Another way to reduce friction and protect your hair at night is by wearing a satin headscarf. This barrier helps prevent your hair from rubbing against the pillow, reducing the chances of breakage or tangling.

Haircare Routine for Every Hair Type

Straight Hair

Wash every 2-3 days with a lightweight shampoo to avoid excess oil buildup. Focus on conditioning the ends to keep them soft without weighing the roots down. A heat protectant is essential if you style your hair with heat tools. Dry shampoo between washes can help absorb oil and add volume.

Wavy Hair

Cleanse your hair every 3 days using a sulfate-free shampoo to maintain natural texture. Use a hydrating conditioner to reduce frizz, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends. After washing, apply a curl-enhancing cream or mousse to define waves. Air-dry or use a diffuser for added volume.

Curly Hair

Curly hair benefits from less frequent washing, about every 4-5 days, with a moisture-rich shampoo. Use a deep conditioner weekly to keep curls hydrated. Detangle hair when wet using a wide-tooth comb. Apply leave-in conditioner and styling gel or cream to lock in moisture and define curls.

Coily/Wavy Hair

Wash once a week with a sulfate-free shampoo, followed by a deep conditioning treatment. Using oils like argan or coconut to retain moisture. Detangle while conditioning, and use the LOC method (leave-in, oil, cream) to seal in hydration and enhance curl definition.

Laughing gas or nitrous oxide is making headlines not for its role in dental clinics or surgical procedures, but as a potential treatment for depression. Once only considered a part of short-term anaesthetics used to relieve pain or anxiety during surgical procedures, like childbirth, nitrous oxide is now gaining attention in the world of mental health research for its potential to alleviate symptoms of depression, especially in people who have not responded to traditional treatments.

Even A Low Dose Of Laughing Gas Provides Rapid Relief From Depression

Several studies in recent years have shown that even a low dose of laughing gas can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms. Unlike conventional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show results, nitrous oxide has demonstrated an almost immediate impact in some patients. Scientists believe this fast-acting effect could be a game-changer in managing treatment-resistant depression.

How Was The Research Conducted?

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Chicago conducted clinical trials on people with severe depression who had not responded well to typical medications. Participants were given a single one-hour inhalation session of nitrous oxide. Remarkably, many reported relief from symptoms within just a few hours, and in some cases, the effects lasted for several days.

Laughing gas is thought to work differently from traditional antidepressants, which usually act on serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Nitrous oxide instead affects the NMDA receptors in the brain, which are involved in mood regulation and cognitive functions. This is similar to how ketamine—another fast-acting antidepressant—works. However, nitrous oxide has the added advantage of being less intense and more manageable in terms of side effects.

Patients who received nitrous oxide in the study experienced a noticeable reduction in their depression scores, even when given low concentrations of the gas. Researchers found that a 25% concentration of nitrous oxide was nearly as effective as the 50% dose but caused fewer side effects, such as nausea or dissociation.

Nitrous Oxide Has Advantage Over Others-Its Long Term Medical Use

One of the reasons nitrous oxide is being seriously explored as a depression treatment is its accessibility and long-standing safety profile. It has been used in medical settings for over 150 years, primarily for pain relief. Its safety, low cost, and ease of administration make it an appealing option for rapid intervention in psychiatric emergencies, particularly for those at risk of suicide.

Still, experts caution that laughing gas is not a magic bullet. While it shows promise, more research is needed to understand its long-term effects and how often it can be safely administered without causing dependency or neurological issues. It also needs to be administered under medical supervision. Mental health professionals are optimistic, though. With increasing cases of depression worldwide and many patients not responding to current treatments, the medical community is on the lookout for new and effective therapies. Laughing gas may not be the ultimate cure, but it represents a promising step forward.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are making significant progress toward developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that could help people with tetraplegia (paralysis) restore their lost sense of touch. In the new study published in Nature Communications, participants explored digitally represented objects using an artificially created sense of touch. Through the interface, they described sensations as vivid as the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth, rigid surface of a door key, and the cool roundness of an apple. This collaborative effort between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago represents a major step forward in neuroprosthetics.

Unlike earlier experiments—where artificial touch often felt like undifferentiated buzzing or tingling—this study introduced a novel feature: BCI users had control over the details of the electrical stimulation that generated their tactile sensations. By enabling participants to personalise their sensory input, scientists were able to help them recreate intuitive and meaningful experiences.

"Touch is an important part of nonverbal social communication; it is a sensation that is personal and that carries a lot of meaning," said lead author Ceci Verbaarschot, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of Texas-Southwestern and a former postdoctoral fellow at Pitt’s Rehab Neural Engineering Labs. "Designing their own sensations allows BCI users to make interactions with objects feel more realistic and meaningful, which gets us closer to creating a neuroprosthetic that feels pleasant and intuitive to use."

BCI converts Brain Activity Into Signals

A brain-computer interface converts brain activity into signals that can replace, restore, or enhance bodily functions normally controlled by the brain, such as movement. BCIs can also be used to restore lost sensations by directly stimulating the brain, essentially bypassing damaged neural pathways. Over the last decade, Pitt researchers have shown that a paralysed individual can feel sensation using a mind-controlled robotic arm. However, those sensations lacked nuance—touching a person’s hand felt no different than grasping a hard rock.

In this new study, researchers moved closer to creating a realistic, intuitive sense of touch. BCI users were able to "design" different tactile experiences for objects displayed on a screen and could identify objects based on sensation alone—though not perfectly. Participants, all of whom had lost hand sensation due to spinal cord injuries, were challenged to match stimulation settings with sensations like petting a cat or touching an apple, key, towel, or toast.

Sensations Were Subjective

Describing their sensations in rich and subjective detail, one participant noted a cat felt "warm and tappy," while another described it as "smooth and silky." Even when images were removed and participants had to rely solely on touch, they correctly identified the objects 35% of the time—better than chance. "We designed this study to shoot for the moon and made it into orbit," said senior author Robert Gaunt, Ph.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Pitt. "Participants had a really hard task... and they were quite successful.

Vanellope Hope Wilkins made medical history in 2017 when she was born with her heart outside her body—a condition so rare it's described by experts as "one of a kind." Recently, she underwent a procedure wherein doctors split open her ribs to insert her heart back into her chest cavity. After the successful operation, they shared how they performed the seemingly impossible surgeries.

Born in the UK with a condition known as ectopia cordis, Vanellope underwent three major operations at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to place her heart back inside her chest. The hospital says it knows of no other case in the UK where a baby with this condition has survived. Now seven years old, Vanellope has undergone groundbreaking surgery to reconstruct a protective cage around her heart—using her own ribs. Since then, she has worn a brace around her chest for protection.

She lives with complex medical needs and requires one-to-one care 24 hours a day. Vanellope is autistic and non-verbal, but according to her mother, Naomi Findlay, 39, from Clifton, Nottingham, she is "a happy little thing" who "brings a lot of joy and happiness." Speaking to the BBC, Naomi said she is extremely proud of the fact that her daughter has not only survived her rare medical condition but also achieved. "It makes me extremely proud to see how far she's come, what she's overcome, and what she's achieving. It's a real journey of strength and bravery... she's so brave," Naomi said, adding that saying goodbye at the theatre door before surgery is always emotional.

How Was It Done?

The surgical team carefully decided that the timing was right for this next step. Vanellope was placed on a bypass machine, which temporarily took over the function of her heart and lungs. This allowed her heart to deflate, making it easier to perform the “very tricky” procedure.

Surgeons first detached part of her heart—the right ventricular outflow tract—and the pulmonary artery from where it had fused to her skin. Then came the bilateral rib osteotomy, a procedure involving breaking her ribs on both sides. The ribs were then repositioned to create a protective cage around her heart.

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