Few thoughts are more hair-raising to people who have recently had a hair transplant than the thought of those newly implanted hair follicles falling right out again.

You need to be extremely gentle and careful with your scalp in the days after your surgery, which means avoiding extreme temperatures and pressure on your scalp.

This is one reason why it is extremely important to make sure that you don’t wear tight hats, motorcycle helmets, or other headgear that could dislodge these follicles or stunt their growth.

The same goes for sleeping. You may not think it is a major problem, but it’s one of the sneakiest causes of accidental post-op hair loss.

That’s why you’ll want to pay attention to these sleep tips for protecting your hair after an FUT or FUE operation.

Sleeping tips | Keep Your Sheets and Pillowcases Clean

One of the biggest threats to your sensitive scalp post-op is the threat of a buildup of dirt and sweat, both of which can be exacerbated by a dirty pillowcase. 

If you keep sleeping on the same dirty or sweat-soaked pillowcase, your scalp will be one of the first things to suffer. 

That’s why you’ll want to clean your sheets and pillowcases regularly. 

In addition, you should make sure that you clean them without detergents that can irritate your scalp.

Sleeping with tight hats,in hot/cold bedrooms or on dirty pillows can pose a threat after a recent hair transplant
Summary

Sleeping tips | Place a Towel on Your Pillow

Don’t be freaked out at the sight of a few loose follicles – that’s normal shortly after a hair transplant.

However, you don’t want it to stick to your sheets and get stuck back onto your scalp with sweat because of the issues mentioned above. 

Besides, this kind of leakage can stain your sheets. 

For this reason, you’ll want to place a towel atop your pillow that can catch this leakage and those loose follicles.

Sleep on Your Back

How to sleep after a hair transplant ?| On Your Back

If you sleep on your stomach, you can rub the sides of your head and move back and forth while you sleep. 

Needless to say, this is not a good idea. Instead, you’ll want to sleep on your back.

In addition, you’ll want to sleep with your head in an elevated position. 

This is once again designed to help keep your head from rubbing back and forth across the pillow or otherwise brushing up against your bed in such a way as to shake those hair follicles loose. 

Whenever possible, keep your head propped up on pillows at a 45-degree angle, especially in the first three or four days after your operation. 

Not only does this help control the amount of shedding and leakage, but it can also help cut down on swelling and make the healing process go that much faster.

That said, while you want to sleep with your head reclined at such an angle, you don’t want it to hit your headboard, as this too can shake loose some follicles. 

An easy fix here is to place a pillow between your head and your headboard. 

Something little like that might not seem like much, but it can make a big difference in helping ensure that you don’t get patchy spots in your new head of hair 

from extra follicles being shaken loose and thus achieving a more satisfying result overall.

Keeping your head elevated and at a 45 degree angle is preferred while sleeping.
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FUE VS FUT | Impact on sleeping

FUT hair transplants are technically more invasive and traumatic.  

 

The healing times tend to be longer with FUT, so naturally you have take extra care with your sleeping arrangement after an FUT.

Particularly at the donor site, where the grafts are taken from.

So, avoid sleeping on your back (as FUT grafts are usually from the back of the head).

Also expect a longer healing time after an FUT. so your sleeping arrangement will face a more prolonged change.

 

Sleep Regularly

You have just had an operation, which means you need to rest. 

The more you rest, the faster your recovery will be. 

That being said, quality counts as much as quantity when it comes to sleep, and that means making sure that you maintain a good sleep pattern. 

This is especially true in those all-important three or four days after your hair transplant.

Take it Easy

In keeping with the tips above, you’ll want to make sure that you take it easy in the hours leading up to bedtime.

Do not engage in any especially strenuous activities, and refrain from alcohol.

Doing this can lessen the amount of sweat you have on your scalp when you go to bed, and can likewise lessen the overall strain you face, thereby enabling you to heal that much easier.

In the immediate aftermath of your surgery, little things such as respecting sleep patterns and keeping yourself clean can make a big difference in your recovery time.

Follow these tips, sleep easy, and enjoy your new head of hair.