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Do you shower in the morning or at night? Most people in America are morning showerers, but if you’re someone who has trouble powering down at night, a warm shower may be just the thing that gets you a good night’s sleep.
Taking a warm shower has all kinds of benefits, including:
- Muscle relaxation
- Opening pores
- Removing toxins
- Decongesting nasal passages
- Reducing anxiety
- Reducing swelling
- Relieves tension
- Dilates blood vessels
When you apply these to a nighttime shower, it’s obvious what the benefits are. Taking a shower at night basically serves the same purpose as doing bedtime yoga, or drinking sleepytime tea.
Biologically, our circadian rhythm is controlled by temperature regulation. Your body temperature drops when you go to sleep, meaning that your body heat escapes through the skin, making you feel warm. This cool-down is necessary for your heart rate to slow, your muscles to relax, and your blood pressure to drop.
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But if you’re a person who’s busy right up until the moment they lay down, you may not be giving your body enough time to settle down and make that change.
Showering at night makes your body replicate that same effect, but faster, so you get to sleep more quickly and sleep better.
What’s the other most important ingredient? A cool room. If you’re in a room over 72 degrees Fahrenheit, it’ll be much harder for you to fall asleep. A warm shower is great for this, too, since getting out of a shower to even slightly cooler air will help your body cool down. So if you have a room that's always hot, this may be your best choice.
