Never go to bed with damp hair.

What could be better than a hot bath after a long day? A hot, steamy bath doesn't just get you clean, it also washes away stress and fatigue, helping you relax and fall asleep easily afterward. But in your hurry to jump into a cozy bed after a long-awaited shower, you often don't notice that your hair hasn't dried. Is that bad? Let's find out.

If you forgot to dry your hair once, you don't need to worry too much, as it won't do you any harm. But don't rush into the habit of sleeping with wet hair. Without considering the possible dangers, this habit may lead to catching a cold.

In ancient times, people were convinced that sleeping with wet hair made them unprotected against the dark night forces that brought illnesses. In today's world, everyone knows that these are just superstitions. However, waking up sick after sleeping with wet hair is a real issue. When you sleep, your body temperature drops. Wet hair cools down your body even more, and then the slightest draft over your bed becomes dangerous. You wake up the next morning with a runny nose and sore throat, and no dark night forces are to blame.

 An unpleasant surprise: some people suffer from cold sores, which usually appear on the lips at the most inconvenient time, proving once again that life can be so unfair. Cold sores make their victims awfully anxious about their appearance, and they are very contagious until they go away. Sleeping with wet hair is the right way to provoke those fever blisters into appearing.

Hair follicles are under threat.

 When you sleep with wet hair, the water from your hair is constantly evaporating, and so your scalp is continually cooling down. Your hair becomes very cold, and the hair follicles might get inflamed as a result. This, in turn, can cause hair loss, skin redness, itchiness, and pain.

Wet hair and headaches

 There is a connection. Sleeping with wet hair can easily cause a migraine. There are two phases of sleep: the slow wave phase and the paradoxical phase. During the slow-wave phase, your body temperature drops. In the second phase, the so-called phase of dreams, your body temperature increases. When you're in the second sleep phase and your hair is wet, your body is becoming warmer while your wet hair is cooling down. That is how a migraine appears.

From spasms to neck pain.

 There is one more disaster you may encounter if you go to bed without drying your hair first. When you sleep on your side, the part of your face that is on the pillow warms up while the other cools down. This is because the air temperature in the room is usually lower than the temperature of your body. Uneven heating of the muscles causes spasms, and you may wake up with a sore neck as a result. Anyone would agree that health-related issues should be treated seriously. However, the appearance of the hair and skin for most people is just as important.

Acne again.

 How often have you had to defend your skin against acne? There's probably not a single person who hasn't faced this very unpleasant phenomenon at least once. Acne is caused by subcutaneous mites. They are called Demodex follicilorum, and they are permanent inhabitants of your skin and hair follicles. Don't freak out, though. Demodex follicular mites are normally inactive. Skin problems only appear when they begin to multiply, and that happens when these insidious creatures find places that are warm and damp. The skin near wet hair seems to be an ideal place for them. It would be unfair not to mention that acne can be caused by many other reasons, including immune disorders and hormonal shifts.

Hateful dandruff.

 Most people can't stand the white flakes that seem to appear on their hair out of the blue. And it's not always easy to guess that the reason might be sleeping with wet hair. People buy very expensive shampoos and apply special masks, and then they wonder why none of it helps to get rid of those white flakes, or dandruff, as trichologists call it.

 Dandruff is caused by Malasasia with fewer microorganisms. And these scheming creatures live on your scalp. Are you freaking out again? You shouldn't. The problem begins only when they start to multiply, and that happens in humid environments. If you go to bed with wet hair, you will provide them with freedom of action. And there is a reason you shouldn't do that. As soon as these cunning microorganisms feel warm and cool, they start to multiply and capture the territory. No dandruff shampoo will conquer them. Then.

Hair weakening.

 Wet hair is weaker than dry hair. This is because hairs have a multilayer structure and the outer layer is the cuticle, which provides protection and moisture retention. Normally, the cuticle is smooth and closed, but it gets raised. When washed with raised cuticles, hairs become more pliable and easier to break. Wet hairs are more elastic, and when they are stretched, which often happens during sleep, as you turn from one side to the other, they get too thin and may break off. The same applies to hair follicles. When they are wet, they are more fragile and can be damaged very easily.

Experienced hairdressers do not recommend sleeping with wet hair if you want your hair to look lush and beautiful. Morning hair disasters. Everyone wants to have a presentable look in the morning. If you have ever slept with wet hair, you know perfectly well what a wild horror may appear on your head when you wake up. And then there's the possibility of being late for work since you have to spend so much time attempting to make your hair obey the comb.

 Some students believe that it is not good to wash their hair the night before an exam. This myth originated from a legend according to which all knowledge is piled up in the hair. By washing your hair, you may wash away your knowledge. Well, the myth was probably invented to prevent students from sleeping with wet hair, thus preventing them from terrifying the examination board with a mess of dried-up, unstyled hair during the exam.

• Finally, here's one more reason not to sleep with wet hair: dangerous one-cell creatures.

 When you go to bed straight after a shower, your pillow absorbs the moisture from your wet hair. While your hair dries quickly, the pillow stays damp throughout the night. If you're in the habit of washing your hair every evening and then going to bed immediately afterward, your poor pillow simply doesn't have time to dry out completely, and some moisture will always remain in its depths.

 The warm and humid environment that forms inside your pillow becomes an ideal environment for the multiplication of fungi and bacteria. The bacteria begin to proliferate very actively in a short period of time. You may start to breathe in their spores. That can easily provoke allergies that make you cough, make your eyes itch, and even cause bronchial asthma, which won't make anyone happy. Moreover, the presence of mold inside your pillow will cause a very unpleasant smell.

 There is no time to dry your hair before bed. Sometimes you are so tired that you simply can't spend any time drying your hair. Here are some tips to help reduce the negative effects of sleeping with wet hair.

 You should dry your hair with a soft towel very thoroughly, but very gently. After washing it to remove some of the moisture, put a thick towel on your pillow. It will continue to absorb the moisture from your hair during the night. Replace your cotton pillowcase with a satin one. Satin is much softer, and your hair will be less messy and break less. Take care of yourself and make sure there is no draft in your bedroom.