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Should you go to sleep with wet hair?

Though sleeping with wet hair won't give you a cold, Dr. Shah says that it does increase your risk of developing a fungal infection of the scalp. Fungi, such as Malassezia, can lead to conditions like dandruff or dermatitis, according to Shah, who recommends going to sleep with dry hair when possible.

healthline.com - Sleeping with Hair Wet: Is It Bad for Your Health? - Healthline

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We got the lowdown from two doctors on sleeping with wet hair. Here’s what could happen if you do hit the hay with a wet head and how to go about it the right way. Turns out, your mother was wrong — at least about the cold. Sleeping with your hair wet can make you sick, but not the way you think.

Have you skipped a late night shower because you were too tired to blow dry, hearing your mother’s voice in your head telling you that you’ll catch a cold if you sleep with wet hair?

There’s no need to lose sleep over what your mom told you about getting sick by sleeping with wet hair. The risks are pretty minimal, but there are a few you should be aware of before thinking you can hit the hay sopping wet every night.

Getting sick

Catching a cold appears to be the most common concern thanks to folklore and protective mothers and grandmothers. Though they’re usually right in general, they’re wrong about wet hair and colds, according to Dr. Chirag Shah, MD, a board-certified emergency physician and cofounder of Push Health, an online healthcare platform. “There is no evidence that one can catch a cold from going to bed with wet hair,” Shah said. “When one gets a cold, it is due to being infected with a virus.”

Sorry moms.

The common cold doesn’t really have anything to do with being cold, but rather being infected with one of over 200 cold-causing viruses, usually a rhinovirus. The virus enters your body through your nose, mouth, or eyes and is spread through droplets in the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or speaks. You can also catch it by touching a contaminated surface or hand-to-hand contact with an infected person. In the United States, colds are more likely during colder months because of the start of the school year and people spending more time indoors, in close quarters with others.

Fungal infections

Though sleeping with wet hair won’t give you a cold, Dr. Shah says that it does increase your risk of developing a fungal infection of the scalp. Fungi, such as Malassezia, can lead to conditions like dandruff or dermatitis, according to Shah, who recommends going to sleep with dry hair when possible. Along with the fungus naturally present on your scalp, pillows are also a hotbed for fungus. It thrives in a warm environment and a wet pillowcase and pillow provide the ideal breeding ground. An older study on the fungal flora found on bedding discovered anywhere between 4 to 16 species per pillow tested. This included Aspergillus fumigatus, a common species of fungus responsible for causing severe infections in people with weakened immune systems. It can also worsen symptoms of asthma.

Hair breakage

Sleeping with wet hair does impact the hair itself. Along with the inevitability of waking up with some seriously kinked bedhead, you may also do damage to your hair. “Hair is at its weakest when it’s wet. The main risk (other than cosmetic ones) is breakage of hair when tossing and turning while sleeping,” said Dr. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, a New York City dermatologist who’s board-certified in dermatology and dermatopathology. Mudgil warns: “This is particularly an issue if hair is braided or in a tight updo, which adds more tension to the hair shaft. If you can’t avoid sleeping with wet hair, your best bet is leaving it down.”

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chubb.com - When should you be eating your biggest meal? - Chubb

It isn't just the food you eat that can impact your weight and health, it's also when you eat it. Most people are brought up thinking that dinner should be the biggest meal of the day, meaning they opt for a light breakfast and lunch. However, research has found that a smaller dinner and larger lunch could be the key to helping you shift those weight. Even if you have a really healthy diet, eating your biggest meal in the evening is not the best option, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research found that those who ate half their daily calories at lunch and then just 20 per cent at dinner managed to lose 5 kg on 12 weeks. This is compared to the 4 kg that those who had a bigger meal in the evening lost in the same period. Food intake among both groups was exactly the same, it was just the time of day when the most food was consumed that changed the results. However, it isn't just the benefit of better weight loss or management that eating your largest meal at lunch has to offer. There are a few other reasons refuelling fully at midday could be the best option for you.

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