sleeping with wet hair

[rookie]

I have always heard that it is bad for your health to sleep with wet hair. Personally, I sometimes do sleep with wet hair and just feel uncomfortable and a little foggy in the brain until I finish drying it in the morning. My dds always want to go to sleep with wet hair and I am concerned that it may not be good for them. Can it contribute to sinus or headache issues? Anything else? Lower immunity? Will the moisture lead to germy pillows? Anything? :confused:

[BigMamaBird]

Uh-oh. I've always showered right before bedtime. I'm slightly overweight and given to a sinus infection or two each winter, but otherwise am pretty healthy. I've never heard this. What's the deal?

[The Girls' Mom]

Hmm...my kids have gone to bed with wet hair more times than I can begin to count. With the exception of my oldest and her allergy/asthma issues (which are very much inherited in our family), they are as healthy as can be. I imagine it might fall under the old wives tales category :confused:

[Peela]

I had heard about this too, and had gone to great lengths to avoid wet hair going to bed most of my life :)

Then recently I had been goign out one evening a week, and really wanted to shower and freshen up before going to bed- and I decided to try having wet hair to bed. Really....nothing bad happened to me. :) No headaches, sinuses, my pillow didnt even seem to notice. It was even in winter, which I thought would be worse. I noticed nothing, and I am a bit fussy and sensitive.

[Dandelion]

I've gone to bed with wet hair thousands of times over the course of my life and have never had a problem (and I have long, thick hair so when it's wet, it stays wet for awhile)... :)

[littlebug42]

I have heard this and try to avoid it for my allergy ridden daughter. Apparently the moisture attracts dust mites.

 

http://www.sleepcare.us/what-are-dust-mites

[nd293]

I have always heard that it is bad for your health to sleep with wet hair. :confused:

 

This is something we were always told as a child, along with "you'll catch cold if you go barefoot in winter / fail to wear your slippers after your bath / go outside with wet hair / don't wear a sweater in winter". It makes no scientific sense (although I'll consider any you present!).

 

My dd had friends (Eastern European / Arabic / Indian) who weren't allowed to drink iced water because it damaged their health. Arabic babies aren't taken out for the first 40 days, and the ladies at the bank were quite horrified that I had my ds out at 2 weeks - the fact that he was asleep was a clear reflection of the fact that I was damaging his health! A young (educated) African woman told me that birth marks were a sign that someone had put a spell on the baby. It's often easier to weed out the myths and old wives tales when they're someone else's!

[Sherry in OH]

Other than an uncomfortably damp pillow, I've never had any problems after sleeping with wet hair. My sons wake up with extra bad cases of bed-head. Their hair spikes in all directions and has to be wet combed.

[sweetbasil]

My thoughts are: wet hair = wet head = lower body temp.

 

A lower body temp is less effective against viruses and bacteria (which is why fever is excellent for fighting these!).

 

So IMHO, going outside without a coat, getting wet, etc... all of these can lower your body's immune response.

[Dana]

I regularly sleep with damp hair (long and takes too long to dry otherwise). In the winter I'll sleep with a blanket over it since I'm too cold, but I've never had problems from sleeping with wet hair. I just try to have it towel dry enough that it's damp and not soaking so the pillow doesn't get too wet.

[Daisy]

I do this. I just put a towel down on my pillow to keep my pillow from getting wet.

 

It has never been a big deal.

[Cinder]

I used to go to bed with wet hair all the time as a kid. I had waist-length hair and took showers at night back then. I would flip my hair up over the top of the pillow--so it wasn't under me when I was lying down (can you picture it?). I never suffered ill effects from it.

 

Cinder

[Guest Katia]

I just had to respond to this post. My dc are 26yo, 21yo and 18yo. They have spent their entire lives getting a shower and washing their hair right before they go to bed. They have all slept with wet hair their entire lives, all through the year, even in weather 16 degrees below zero. I have as well.

 

My hair is medium length and thick. My girls both have thick hair down to their waists. Their hair may still be damp in the morning on an extremely cold night, but usually not and their pillows were never wet, just damp, but dry in the morning. No bugs or allergies, no colds or sicknesses.

 

As a matter of fact, I can count on one hand the times two of the dc have been to the dr in the last 20 years. The other dc had surgery, so of course, has been to the dr. more, but not related to wet hair sicknesses.

 

Honestly, I'm laughing. The thought that anyone could actually think that going to bed with wet hair could be harmful to ones health......:D Well, I guess we're all taught different things, eh? It's an old wives tale. Really.

 

And, there are benefits. Since we don't use blow-dryers or other artificial appliances on our hair, we don't need any 'product' and our hair is very, very naturally healthy as well.

[Ellie]

I've never gone to bed with wet hair. I shower at night and wash my hair in the kitchen in the morning. And when dd were little, we washed and blow-dried their hair when they were bathed at night. Maybe we're OCD or something.:D

 

My hair would be totally weird and unmanageable if I went to bed with it wet.:glare:

[gaillardia]

Oh boy! We're playing myth busters?!

We don't get sick from going to bed with wet or damp hair. Most of us have been doing it for years.

I prefer to wash my hair in the morning so it will look better though.:001_smile:

[sbgrace]

I've showered right before bed all my life and so do my kids due to allergies in one. His allergist said it was important so he doesn't take his allergens to bed with him. I can't figure out how it might make you groggy or etc. except our minds are powerful things!

[Peela]

This is something we were always told as a child, along with "you'll catch cold if you go barefoot in winter / fail to wear your slippers after your bath / go outside with wet hair / don't wear a sweater in winter". It makes no scientific sense (although I'll consider any you present!).

 

My dd had friends (Eastern European / Arabic / Indian) who weren't allowed to drink iced water because it damaged their health. Arabic babies aren't taken out for the first 40 days, and the ladies at the bank were quite horrified that I had my ds out at 2 weeks - the fact that he was asleep was a clear reflection of the fact that I was damaging his health! A young (educated) African woman told me that birth marks were a sign that someone had put a spell on the baby. It's often easier to weed out the myths and old wives tales when they're someone else's!

 

OK, I have some things to say about these and it gives me a different perspective on the wet hair thing, too.

 

I do not drink iced water- it gives me indigestion. I have studied Ayurvedic medicine and they consider that it lowers digestive fire. Now, that doesnt mean that you cant "get away with it"- but then, how sensitive are most of us to our digestive systems anyway? Most people are not. Doesn't mean it doesn't have a negative effect.

 

As for wearing barefeet in winter and all those things- probably including having wet hair to bed- we are all spoiled rotten in that if we catch a cold and it gets nasty- we can go to the doctor and get antibiotics. Before 50 years ago, there were no antibiotics. People died regularly and frequently from things we just naturally take for granted we would survive.

And also, many of us come from northern Eurpean stock where these so called "myths" had their basis in reality- it was cold in winter- you wouldnt risk lowering your immunity by letting yourself get cold (bare feet, wet hair at night etc). WHen I say lowering your immunity- your body only has so much energy- If it has to direct your core energy to keeping you warm because you are not wearing shoes and it is snowing- well, it is goign to have a lot less energy to direct towards your immune system to deal with the bugs that around at that time of year. And of course you are going to teach your kids these things. Its survival.

 

I dont think these are "myths". I think they all have their basis in reality (OK, maybe not the birthmark one but I dont know for sure! When you dont know about germs, energies and spirits are the way you interpret teh world :) ) When you live in times or places where you cant rush your newborn baby to hospital if they catch something nasty, and many- if not most- babies die before age 1- you keep them inside for their first month in order to help their immune system grow before being exposed to everyone and everything out there. It's actually common sense! And many countries still dont have the sort of medical facilities we take for granted, so they still have these customs- and they may well even forget why they have them.

 

However, we do live in different times and in a different culture- and we can take the customs of our ancestors and evaluate them for credibility today in our own context. I think it's worth respecting our ancestors and other cultures- for surviving long enough for us to be here.

[gaillardia]

Good points and interesting perspective, as usual, Peela!

I know the part about drinking ice cold water, or ice water is not good for the body.

My pediatrician from years ago had said don't take the baby out into the throngs for 3 months, then it was 6 months. It's so they don't get sick from whatever flu or nasty virus is out there.

Gee, this thread is taking a turn, isn't it?:)

[rookie]

OK, I have some things to say about these and it gives me a different perspective on the wet hair thing, too.

 

I do not drink iced water- it gives me indigestion. I have studied Ayurvedic medicine and they consider that it lowers digestive fire. Now, that doesnt mean that you cant "get away with it"- but then, how sensitive are most of us to our digestive systems anyway? Most people are not. Doesn't mean it doesn't have a negative effect.

 

As for wearing barefeet in winter and all those things- probably including having wet hair to bed- we are all spoiled rotten in that if we catch a cold and it gets nasty- we can go to the doctor and get antibiotics. Before 50 years ago, there were no antibiotics. People died regularly and frequently from things we just naturally take for granted we would survive.

And also, many of us come from northern Eurpean stock where these so called "myths" had their basis in reality- it was cold in winter- you wouldnt risk lowering your immunity by letting yourself get cold (bare feet, wet hair at night etc). WHen I say lowering your immunity- your body only has so much energy- If it has to direct your core energy to keeping you warm because you are not wearing shoes and it is snowing- well, it is goign to have a lot less energy to direct towards your immune system to deal with the bugs that around at that time of year. And of course you are going to teach your kids these things. Its survival.

 

I dont think these are "myths". I think they all have their basis in reality (OK, maybe not the birthmark one but I dont know for sure! When you dont know about germs, energies and spirits are the way you interpret teh world :) ) When you live in times or places where you cant rush your newborn baby to hospital if they catch something nasty, and many- if not most- babies die before age 1- you keep them inside for their first month in order to help their immune system grow before being exposed to everyone and everything out there. It's actually common sense! And many countries still dont have the sort of medical facilities we take for granted, so they still have these customs- and they may well even forget why they have them.

 

However, we do live in different times and in a different culture- and we can take the customs of our ancestors and evaluate them for credibility today in our own context. I think it's worth respecting our ancestors and other cultures- for surviving long enough for us to be here.

 

Thank you Peela. I think this too. I do not understand the modern need to make previous generations out to be idiots. We may not need to follow every bit of grandma's advice today, but that does not mean it was always a crock.

 

BTW, I spent some time researching the wet hair thing last night. It seems that it is mostly fine except for three things:

 

1. It promotes a moist environment for dust mites; if you are allergic to these you probably want to avoid a wet head as that can flare your allergies.

 

2. It could be part of the lower body temp - lower immunity to germs issue.

 

3. Hair is more easily damaged when wet so sleeping on it can "break" it.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I think it is a recipe for a bad hair day the next day and possibly, being cold all night long if dh likes is chilly in the house at night. But other than that, I haven't seen ill effects.