No One Should Ever Sleep with a Ponytail, Here's Why

 There are few things finer than sinking intobed after a long, hard day, right? But before you hit the sack, you probablyhave a bedtime routine that might include putting your hair up --if it’s long. But, this habit could do more harm than good. Anyone with long hair might think that sleepingwith a ponytail protects it from getting tangled or damaged. Turns out, this habit can trigger hair loss. It could even lead to a health condition calledtraction alopecia. Some early symptoms are small bumps on yourscalp that look like pimples. If you ignore them, and continue sleepingwith tight ponytails, you might wake up to see even more hairs on your pillow. Apart from losing hair, people with tractionalopecia might experience itching, redness of the scalp, and flaky patches. The good news is that all those negative effectsI’ve just mentioned will go away if you stop pulling your hair up before bed and giveit some time to grow back. But keep in mind, it’s not only about ponytails. Tight buns or braids, and even sleeping withrollers, can also be harmful to your mane. In other words, the best thing you can dois to let your hair down at nighttime. Your hair especially deserves a break at nightif you style it a lot during the day. But if you want to get it out of your facebefore turning in, try wrapping it up in a silk or satin scarf, or get yourself a sleepingcap. This will save your strands from tanglingand breaking while you toss in bed. But in fact, sleeping with a ponytail isn’tthe only common bedtime habit that can have a negative effect on your body or sleep. There are many other seemingly harmless thingspeople do without realizing how it impacts their well-being. I have a list. Surprise surprise. Let’s start with… Going to bed hungry. If, to shed a few pounds, you strictly followthe rule of not eating after a certain time, you might do yourself a disservice. While going to bed stuffed is bad, doing theopposite isn’t any better. In fact, having a pre-bedtime snack full ofprotein and fiber boosts your metabolism, which is crucial for maintaining a healthyweight. Also, if your body doesn’t get any fuelbefore getting rest, insulin levels drop. That can be dangerous for people with diabetes,but even healthy people could wake up dizzy, or with a headache. Sleeping on your stomach. So, what’s your favorite sleeping position? Let me know in the comments! But if your answer is “on the belly” thenI have some bad news for you: this position just might be the worst. It puts additional strain on your spinal cordand back, which doesn’t allow your muscles to relax during rest. This extra strain on the spine might causepain or numbness in different body parts. Also, sleeping on your stomach can be thereason for neck problems since it’s in a twisted position all night. Doctors believe that sleeping on your backor side is the best option. Checking social media. Many people are already aware that takinggadgets to bed means poor sleep since the blue light they emit slows the productionof melatonin – the hormone that makes us sleepy. But staring at your device’s screen alsoposes a threat to your eyes. Blue light can damage light-sensitive cellsin the retina. The strain gets even worse when you do itin the darkness, which is a common thing right before dozing off for a lot of people. This might even lead to partial or permanentvision loss. Working out. A hectic schedule and everyday responsibilitiesoften leave you with only one option – working out right before bed. But while you’re trying hard to keep yourbody strong and lean, you just might be setting yourself up for a failure. Doing vigorous physical exercises makes youfeel more alert and awake, making it hard to doze off. And if you don’t get enough good-qualitysleep, your body will produce less muscle-building hormones, and even cause muscle mass to decrease. So, if you want to achieve your fitness goals,work out as early in the day as possible. Not stretching. But, hey, skipping a bedtime workout doesn’tmean you should avoid all physical activity. In reality, light stretching can help youwith warding off leg cramps at night. This type of muscle spasm, which can be reallypainful and disturbing, affects up to 60% of adults in the US alone. While experts are still not sure what exactlycauses night leg cramping, they advise stretching the muscles regularly to lower your risk ofgetting them. But don’t go overboard with the stretching,or you’ll have to sleep with sore muscles. Leaving a glass of water near your bedA lot of people put it there just in case they wake up in the middle of the night thirsty. Some prefer to drink it first thing in themorning to start the day right. But leaving water overnight might give ita bad taste. This happens when carbon dioxide starts mixingwith the water. And let’s not forget that left-out watercould become home to dust particles, or even a swimming pool for insects. Ew. While all this won’t cause you any healthproblems, drinking fresh or bottled water is a much better option. Sleeping with pets. You might think that the only disadvantageof this is having to deal with pet hair in your bed. And if your pet regularly visits a vet, you’resafe since the risk of disease transmission is low. However, if your immune system isn’t atits best, the chances for disease transmission rise. Sharing a bed with a pet is especially notadvised for elderly people and those who have diabetes. On top of that, humans and animals have differentsleep cycles. Pets wake up more often during the night,which can leave you cranky in the morning. Worst still, dogs in particular tend to hogthe bed, and not leave you much room, like my dog Riley does. Do c I kick him off? Heck no. Do you sleep with your pets? Tell me about it in the comments below. Sleeping with wet hair. Chances are you’ve already heard the talethat it can make you ill. You won’t catch a cold just because yousleep with wet hair. But hair is the weakest when it’s wet. So, when you toss and turn in your bed, itcreates friction and causes breakage. Also, the pillow’s fabric absorbs not onlywater from your hair, but natural oils. That’s why you’ll wake up with dull andless shiny locks. Besides, water and warmth are all bacterianeed to start blooming right on your pillow, which puts you at risk of a break-out. Choosing the wrong pillowcase. Your face touches a pillowcase for much longerthan any other fabric. That’s why getting a silk one is importantif you want to keep your face looking good. First, silk is naturally hypoallergenic andresistant to mold, fungus, and dust mites. Also, this fabric helps your skin maintainits natural moisture. And producing silk requires much fewer chemicalsthan other fabrics on the marketplace. This saves your face from unnecessary exposureto these substances. Besides, the smoothness of its texture helpsprevents wrinkles. Not taking time to unwind. We live in a pretty stressful time, and manyof us have to juggle multiple commitments. That’s why it’s so important to learnhow to relax and prepare yourself mentally for bedtime. There are a lot of health conditions thatare related to anxiety and stress. Just to name a few: bloating, teeth grinding,irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes. And, of course, many people don’t get any“me time” to relieve stress until bedtime. So, take a warm bath, take a walk in the park,or simply meditate to improve your health. If you can’t decide which of these to tryfirst, just sleep on it. Hey, if you learned something new today, thengive the video a like and share it with a friend! And here are some other cool videos I thinkyou'll enjoy. Just click to the left or right, and stayon the Bright Side of life!