Many people choose to shower in the morning as a way to wake up. Others, though, prefer to have a shower before they climb into a nice warm, clean bed for the night.
If you’re thinking about whether or not one is better than the other when it comes to your health, Dr. Dianne Augelli of the Center for Sleep Medicine at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center says yes – as long as you shower at just the right time.
Basically, you need to give yourself a bit of a buffer zone between hopping out of the shower and go into bed.
“You don’t want to heat yourself up right before bed. Cooling down is a signal that tells us we’re supposed to go to sleep.”
Since body temperature is one of the key factors that dictate the circadian rhythm, a hot shower instantly before bed could actually serve to wake you up rather than the opposite.
Experts recommend taking that shower (or bath) about an hour or hour-and-a-half before you want to crawl into bed, which should give you ample time to cool down.
If you do opt for a nighttime shower, research shows you’ll get benefits like boosting the effects of your creams and moisturizers, clearing up breakouts, and even wrinkle prevention.
There are also usefulness to showering in the morning – it’s a mood and energy booster for sure.