We all have been warned by our parents not to sleep with wet hair because they believe that it is a bad thing. Despite the warnings, we are sometimes slacking or too lazy to dry our hair out.
But what is the truth behind it?
Recently, a 32-year-old woman from Wuhan, China suffered from facial paralysis apparently because of sleeping her hair dripping wet. According to China Times, the woman, only by her surname Xiong, works in a shopping mall and because of her busy schedule, she often failed to dry her hair out and fall asleep.
One day, she was shocked as she woke up from a deep sleep and noticed that d that she cannot move or control the left side of her face. Xiong immediately looked into the mirror while brushing her teeth and found that her mouth was deformed.
She was rushed immediately to the hospital and the doctors diagnosed her with Facial Nerve Paralysis, most commonly known as Bell’s Palsy. Doctors suggested that it may be caused by her habit of sleeping with wet hair.
Experts further explained that the paralysis was possibly due to temperature changes in her body because of her wet hair that can trigger pain and cause her face to experience spasms. Consequently, this could lead to facial paralysis especially when the body is in a relaxed state when sleeping. He also said that sleeping with wet hair on your pillow would make it an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which could cause infections.
Meanwhile, Ms. Xiong, fortunately, managed to recover and gain full control of her facial muscles after 10 days of comprehensive treatment.
According to Wikipedia, Bell’s palsy is a type of facial paralysis that results in an inability to control the facial muscles on the affected side. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe. They may include muscle twitching, weakness, or total loss of the ability to move one or rarely both sides of the face. Other symptoms include drooping of the eyelid, a change in taste, pain around the ear, and increased sensitivity to sound, typically symptoms come on over 48 hours.
Is this article helpful? Let us know in the comment section below.