Last Updated on April 11, 2021
Are you a morning shower or a night shower type of person? This is one of the greatest dilemmas of personal hygiene.
You see, either option is valid, and both have their strengths. But from a strictly theoretical point of view, one of them stands out, especially if you want to sleep better at night.
As you may have guessed already, having a shower as a part of your bedtime routine can have a much more positive impact on your life. This doesn’t mean that showering in the morning is necessarily bad or wrong – for some people it works better at many different levels.
But the truth is that it is way better to take your daily shower an hour or so before going to bed. Why do you ask? Well, that’s precisely what we are about to tell you!
1. Improves Sleep Quality
We all know how important it is to have a good night’s sleep, both for our physical and mental health. For that matter, showering at night can be very helpful.
There’s a thing called the circadian rhythm that controls and regulates the sleep-wake cycle. In essence, this is the natural process that tells your body when to feel sleepy or alert and focused.
Some people refer to it as an “internal clock.” This cycle differs from person to person, and it determines a series of other biological processes such as brain wave activity, cell regeneration, and hormone production, for example.
One of the things that regulate the circadian rhythm is body temperature. That’s why taking a shower one or two hours before bedtime will make you feel sleepy.
You will increase your body temperature during the shower, and, as it cools down in the minutes after, your brain will send a message to the whole body telling it that it’s time to go to sleep.
This is a great strategy to prevent sleep problems. If you have sleep disorders such as sleep deprivation or insomnia, you should try showering before bed.
It also promotes good sleep hygiene. The term sleep hygiene is used to describe the different practices and habits that help us sleep better. Exercising, sleeping in a quiet, dark, and pleasant environment, and having a relaxing bedtime routine are some examples of good hygiene.
Besides, you won’t have to wash your pajamas and bedsheets as often because showering eliminates that horrendous body odor that comes from all the sweat accumulated throughout the day.
If you are still not convinced, you should know that the University of Texas made a systematic review of more than 5 thousand studies and concluded that taking a hot shower before bedtime undoubtedly improved sleep quality, efficiency, and onset latency. So we can say that there is scientific evidence to support these claims!
2. Reduces Stress
The shower is a kind of ritual that is extremely relaxing and helps to alleviate body tension. It makes people feel rejuvenated. And it often even has a therapeutic effect. While we take a shower, we use that time when we are truly alone with our thoughts to reflect on life.
What is curious is that even if we are in a complicated period of our lives, this moment of reflection helps us to calm down and makes us feel less stressed – and it’s very important to go to bed with a clear head. Otherwise, you might have some trouble falling asleep.
3. Regulates Blood Pressure
A group of Japanese researchers studied the effect of showering in the evening on blood pressure and found out that it can indeed have a positive impact.
According to the data obtained from 158 subjects, “the evening home blood pressure measured after bathing (114.0+/-17.1/69.4+/-10.9 mmHg) was significantly lower than the value before bathing (116.3+/-17.1/70.7+/-11.2 mmHg)”.
This happens because the temperature of the water increases the temperature of the body, thus dilating peripheral blood vessels—one more critical health benefit of showering before bed that you should keep in mind.
4. Improves Skin Health
If you don’t shower before bed, the bacteria on your hair will contaminate your pillow – and believe us when we tell you that there’s a considerable amount of bacteria in your hair at the end of the day.
Throughout the night, as you switch sleeping positions, you will be rubbing your face in the pillow, allowing bacteria to reach the skin of your face, which may lead to an acne breakout.
Showering before bed should be an essential part of your skincare routine. It moisturizes your skin, prevents wrinkles, reduces the chance of infection, and cleans body oil. If you suffer from seasonal allergies (such as an allergy to pollen, for example), showering at night is an obligation.
Unless you want to worsen your condition – pollen residues can easily get into your sheets and pillowcase and turn your nights into a real nightmare.
5. Gives You More Time In The Morning
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Showering, makeup, getting dressed, blow dry your hair, eating breakfast. The whole thing. Twenty minutes? Forty-five? An hour?
A lot of people end up having a rushed and stressful morning routine due to lack of time. Often this rush even leads to skipping breakfast or eating something easy to prepare and convenient, which can have a tremendously negative effect on health in the medium to long term.
Since waking up earlier is never an option, you can try moving the shower to the night time. This will save you precious time in the morning, and you can start your day in a much more relaxing manner.
_
We know that for some people, a morning shower is a must. Either because they sweat a lot during sleep or because they like to exercise right after waking up. However, if you have poor sleep quality, you need to change something. Who knows, maybe showering before bed can solve your problems. You have to try it to find out!
