\u201cI am seeing tons of hair loss,\u201d Mona Gohara says.<\/p>\n
Patients come to Gohara, a dermatologist and professor at the Yale School of Medicine, for all kinds of reasons from skin cancer screenings to cosmetic procedures. But this year more than ever, they\u2019re worried about their hair.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a coincidence. Stress \u2014 like, say, that brought on by living through a deadly pandemic \u2014 is known to cause hair loss. Ordinarily, \u201c90 percent of the hairs on our head are in the growing cycle; 10 percent are in the shedding cycle,\u201d Gohara explained. \u201cBut when we\u2019re subject to some type of physiologic or emotional stress, that cycle shifts to where the shed outweighs the grow.\u201d The result: \u201cpeople notice a massive, massive shed.\u201d<\/p>\n
And those stray hairs are part of a bigger trend. At this point, millions of Americans have spent nine months living through a public health nightmare and an unprecedented economic crisis at the same time. They have also had to cope with all this while avoiding gatherings, limiting physical contact, and, when possible, staying inside their homes. Put together, the isolation and anxiety of life in 2020 have brought with them numerous side effects. For one, they might be doing weird things to our bodies.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve noticed your menstrual cycle is more irregular this year, for example, you\u2019re not alone: More patients are reporting irregular periods since the pandemic began, Mary Jane Minkin, an OB-GYN who teaches at the Yale School of Medicine, told Vox. The likely culprit, as with hair loss, is the anxiety of living in such a difficult and uncertain time. \u201cWhen stressors come into play,\u201d Minkin said, \u201cwe end up with screwy periods.\u201d <\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve spotted more gray hairs on Zoom calls, there may be a pandemic-related explanation for that too. And according to some, life in lockdown may even be changing people\u2019s body odor.<\/p>\n
Those are just some of the smaller effects. Some experts are also concerned because isolation has documented effects on health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and even death. \u201cHumans are considered a social species,\u201d Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University who studies the impact of social relationships on health, told Vox. \u201cWhen we lack proximity to others, and particularly trusted others, this creates a heightened state of alert or stress\u201d \u2014 which, over time, can have harmful effects on our bodies.<\/p>\n
To be clear, none of this is an argument for getting rid of pandemic-related restrictions \u2014 after all, the effects of Covid-19 on the body can be far more severe than the effects of isolation. <\/p>\n
But the rise of pandemic periods, weird smells, and other bodily indignities are a reminder that Americans are going through something right now that most of us have never experienced before. And that takes its toll in a lot of ways \u2014 some of them stranger than others.<\/p>\n
2020 is messing with people\u2019s periods<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about periods first. Trend pieces about menstrual changes \u2014 either irregularity or worsened symptoms like cramps \u2014 began popping up in the spring. \u201cA couple of weeks into the stay-at-home order in Washington State, where I live, I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst cramps I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Colleen Stinchcombe wrote at Self in May.<\/p>\n
And while it\u2019s likely too soon for any published research on the impact of the pandemic on menstruation, Minkin isn\u2019t the only one to see increased reports of irregularity among her patients. \u201cIt\u2019s common for us to see patients with changes in their menstrual cycle, but anecdotally, it seems like it\u2019s been happening more over the last six months,\u201d Beth Schwartz, an OB-GYN at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, told the Washington Post in August.<\/p>\n
These changes aren\u2019t necessarily surprising, Minkin told Vox. \u201cMost people think that the ovaries and the uterus regulate periods,\u201d she said. But actually, \u201cthe boss is sitting in our brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specifically, it\u2019s the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland that control the ovaries, regulating their hormone production, which in turn regulates the menstrual cycle. \u201cIt\u2019s our nice, regular hormonal activity from the hypothalamus and the pituitary which stimulate the ovaries to do their thing appropriately and get us nice, regular periods,\u201d Minkin said. <\/p>\n
And when we\u2019re under stress, that can disrupt the functioning of the hypothalamus and pituitary, leading to irregularity. Researchers have noticed a similar effect among young people who go away to college \u2014 and often experience irregular periods as they adjust to a new environment and a new set of worries and pressures.<\/p>\n
The good news, Minkin said, is having an irregular period generally isn\u2019t dangerous. When her patients report irregularity, she\u2019ll typically test their thyroid function and levels of certain hormones to rule out conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome, but as long as everything\u2019s normal, no treatment is needed. If the irregularity is especially bothersome, people can take hormonal contraception to regulate their periods, Minkin said. \u201cOnce we get through things and people\u2019s lives get back toward normal, most folks are probably going to regulate themselves just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pandemic could also be changing people\u2019s body odor<\/p>\n
But irregular periods aren\u2019t the only strange symptom people are reporting after months of reduced contact with others. Another is body odor \u2014 some say they\u2019ve started to smell worse, or just different, since the pandemic began.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a man who prides himself on smelling fresh and fancy free at all times,\u201d Joseph Lamour wrote at Mic in July. But during the pandemic summer, he became \u201cso limburger-esque that my own odor woke me up in the middle of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
As with periods, there\u2019s not yet published research on changes in body odor during the pandemic. But anecdotal reports of the issue have gotten back to Julie Horvath, head of the Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and a professor at North Carolina Central University. An expert in primate genetics who expanded into studying microbes and odor (\u201cI never thought I would be the armpit researcher,\u201d she says), Horvath explains that a big factor in the way we smell is our skin microbiome, or the mix of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live on our skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in your home, you\u2019re now coming into contact more with maybe your pets and your family, who you didn\u2019t see as many hours a day,\u201d she told Vox. This means we\u2019re exchanging microbes with a different group of people (and animals) than usual, which could affect our smell. Spending more time indoors can also affect the microbiome, as can wearing different types of clothes \u2014 synthetic fabrics can host different kinds of microbes than cotton, for example. And a lot of people have changed their style (if you can call it that anymore) during the pandemic. \u201cWhen I talk to people, maybe they\u2019re wearing a nice shirt, but now they have jeans or sweatpants on,\u201d Horvath said. <\/p>\n
Stress can also affect the microbiome, Horvath said. A specific set of glands, the apocrine glands, release sweat when you\u2019re nervous. That sweat contains different compounds from sweat that comes from the ecrine glands, which get to work when you\u2019re too hot. And if your apocrine glands \u2014 found in the armpit and a few other places on the body \u2014 are highly active, then they are providing a \u201cdifferent food source to some of those microbes there, and maybe you\u2019re promoting the growth of some that smell different than what they would\u2019ve before,\u201d Horvath said.<\/p>\n
But the microbiome doesn\u2019t just affect the way we smell. Beneficial bacteria on our skin create a \u201cprotective barrier,\u201d Horvath explained. \u201cIf you have these good, beneficial microorganisms that are on your skin, eating oil or sweat and living there happily, they\u2019re taking up residence,\u201d she said. Then, if something lands on your skin that can make you sick \u2014 a staph bacterium, for example \u2014 \u201cthen it can\u2019t take hold very quickly, because your beneficial organisms are going to outcompete it for resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Washing your hands with soap and water just washes away the lop layer of microbes, potentially allowing some of the good ones to stick around. But hand sanitizer kills the microorganisms on your skin, the good along with the bad, Horvath said. Thus, using too much hand sanitizer during the pandemic could leave us more vulnerable to staph, acne, or other infections down the road.<\/p>\n
Airborne spread of the coronavirus in close contact is the main danger in the pandemic, but we still need to wash our hands, too. Horvath recommends using soap and water when possible to help maintain a healthy microbiome. Beyond that, habits like eating a healthy diet could be good for your microbial balance, though they may or may not help you smell better. Spending time outside if you can is also a good idea, Horvath said. \u201cCertain organisms that are outside in the soil are actually beneficial for your overall body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stress is affecting our hair and skin<\/p>\n
Beyond weird smells and irregular periods, the isolation of this year has brought with it other physical changes for many. In addition to hair loss, a proliferation of gray hair is a common complaint \u2014 one that can also likely be pinned on stress, as Deanna Pai reports at Medium. While the mechanism by which stress causes graying isn\u2019t fully understood, one recent study in mice found that stress led to the death of stem cells that produce melanocytes, the cells in hair follicles that produce pigment. <\/p>\n
Gray hair isn\u2019t reversible (except with dye), Pai points out, but managing stress \u2014 as much as anyone can during a pandemic \u2014 can help slow the process. <\/p>\n
Stress could also be making our skin look worse, Gohara, the dermatologist, said. It causes an increase in the hormone cortisol, which \u201cwreaks cosmetic havoc on your skin\u201d and can lead to anything from dryness to puffy eyes, she explained. \u201cEverything just looks worse with a surge in cortisol.\u201d<\/p>\n
An increase in stress can also lead to more acne, something also exacerbated by the friction of wearing a mask (hence the 2020 neologism \u201cmaskne,\u201d or breakouts on the lower part of the face linked to mask-wearing). Luckily, unlike gray hair, much of this is reversible \u2014 you can combat maskne by washing masks in the same gentle cleanser you use for your face, Gohara said, and using a product with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. For hair loss, meanwhile, she sometimes prescribes supplements, but also reassures patients that when it comes to shedding, \u201ceventually the cycle is going to re-equilibrate itself and your hair will be back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loneliness could cause more severe physical effects<\/p>\n
While things like hair loss are typically harmless, if annoying, the way we live in 2020 could be causing more serious issues too.<\/p>\n
Researchers have long known that isolation \u2014 the condition of having little or no contact with other people \u2014 and loneliness \u2014 the subjective feeling of being alone, regardless of how much contact with people one has \u2014 can be harmful, Holt-Lunstad, the psychologist, said. For example, in one 2015 analysis, she and her coauthors found that isolation was associated with a 29 percent increased likelihood of mortality, while loneliness was associated with a 26 percent increase.<\/p>\n
There are a couple of ways that loneliness can potentially hurt our health. For one, friends and loved ones can influence us to take better care of ourselves \u2014 \u201chaving someone who encourages you to get to bed,\u201d or eat fruits and vegetables, or quit smoking, is good for our health, Holt-Lunstad said. <\/p>\n
But many studies actually control for lifestyle factors like smoking and diet, and still find that loneliness and isolation have a negative effect. One reason, some researchers believe, is that \u201cour brains have adapted to expect proximity to others, and particularly trusted others,\u201d Holt-Lunstad said. When they aren\u2019t around, the brain signals other parts of the body to go into a heightened state of alert. That can lead to changes in heart rate and blood pressure that could increase our risk of cardiovascular disease. But it could also lead to systemic inflammation in the body, which in turn has been linked to a host of mental and physical problems, Holt-Lunstad said, from Alzheimer\u2019s disease to, troublingly, increased susceptibility to viruses.<\/p>\n
These impacts are especially concerning because some early research has found high rates of loneliness and isolation during the pandemic. In an August survey, for example, two-thirds of adults reported social isolation, and more than 7 in 10 said the pandemic had made it harder to connect with friends.<\/p>\n
Luckily, there are ways to reduce isolation, even during a time of social distancing. In a study this summer sponsored by the neighborhood-focused social network Nextdoor, Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues found that performing small acts of kindness for neighbors, such as bringing them groceries or checking in on them over the phone, was associated with a significant drop in loneliness \u2014 1 in 10 participants felt lonely at the beginning of the study, while just 1 in 20 felt the same at the end.<\/p>\n
But it can\u2019t all be on individuals to fix their isolation during this very lonely time. Instead, Holt-Lunstad has advocated for policymakers to pay more attention to people\u2019s social needs throughout the pandemic and recovery, including increased funding to help students and older people, who may be especially vulnerable to loneliness right now. And while funding for anything remains a fraught subject in Congress, Holt-Lunstad writes at Health Affairs that decisions \u201cshould be based on scientific evidence of benefits and drawbacks to our well-being, not solely on economic costs and convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the smaller effects of pandemic living may dissipate naturally when this time in our lives is over. When it comes to issues like irregular periods, for example, the biggest takeaway is \u201cdon\u2019t panic,\u201d Minkin says. \u201cWe will get back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for other, larger problems, like isolation and its serious effects on the body, the pandemic could be a wake-up call. \u201cMy hope is now that we have all experienced, in some degree or another, this feeling of isolation and loneliness, that there may be greater awareness and less stigma,\u201d Holt-Lunstad said.<\/p>\n
\n
\n