A shower isn’t just a shower anymore… People often use them for a variety of reasons from relaxation and perking up, to just getting the sweat and grime off after a long day at work.
Generally, there are two different types of people when it comes to taking daily showers; those who take their showers in the morning and those who prefer to take their showers at night. Some people enjoy utilizing night showers for relaxation to help them wind down after a long day; others enjoy that rejuvenated feeling their morning showers provide them with that helps them to kick start their day.
Scientists say morning showers are actually better for you due to some interesting health benefits. Here are 11 reasons that highlight the importance of morning showers.
1. Improves blood circulation
Coldness (or numbness) in the hands or feet can be a sign of poor circulation. But it’s not just your hands and feet that suffer: sluggish circulation of the blood can cause a whole variety of issues, from heart problems to slow wound healing after an accident. Good blood circulation plays an important role in our health. Proper blood circulation contributes to the transferring of nutrients to ample parts of your body. When your body is lacking good circulation, conditions caused by trapped adverse molecules form.
A morning shower, especially a cold one, can actually help with this problem because it causes the blood to rush to the surface of the skin, helping improve overall blood flow.
2. Decreases stress
Morning showers are a great way to ease this stress, particularly cold showers. Morning showers make certain your body gets the oxygen it needs. Adequate oxygen in the brain decreases stress. This is because the increased flow of blood to the brain helps with the overall function of the neurons, and also seems to have a protective effect against stress.
3. Increases immunity
Morning showers increase immunity by stimulating your body to make new white blood cells. Our white blood cells help us to fight off sicknesses. Due to our biological clock, this only significantly takes place during morning showers.
4. Energy
Morning showers are a preference to many because of the favorable rejuvenating feeling their morning showers give them. Morning showers are a great way to give you just the burst of energy you need to start your day. Studies have shown that having cold showers early in the day helps boost the central nervous system and to stimulate the adrenal glands, both of which mean higher energy levels and more pep in your step as you start your day.
5. Skin health
Showers in general have a very positive effect on your skin health; also, morning showers provide you with even more benefits. However, cool showers in the morning help balance and regulate the natural oils in the skin, and help to reduce excess oiliness, and problems like acne, which can make worse.
6. Relieves cough
If you have a cough, a morning shower is one of the best ways you can give yourself some relief. When you’re fighting a cold or cough, all of the mucus accumulated throughout the night while you’re asleep can make for an uncomfortable sore throat and a very unpleasant morning. The steam from your hot morning shower will loosen the phlegm up and put you at ease within minutes.
7. Washes away toxins
While we sleep, numerous toxins are discarded through our sweat. Morning showers help to wash them away. People are exposed to a variety of toxins through the food they eat, the water they drink, medications, and just in the air that they breathe each day of their lives. However, there are everyday ways to help reduce the possibility of these unwanted substances building up in your system, cold shower in the morning is a good remedy. Cold showers not only help stimulate the blood but also stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluids that help to cleanse the body of toxins and keep it healthy.
8. Oily hair and scalp
Morning showers help combat oily hair and scalp. Those having to deal with extremely oily hair and scalp can wash their hair at night and it will still appear partially oily by morning. Washing your hair in the morning is a sure way to avoid this.
9. Muscle alleviation
Taking morning showers can easily help relieve muscle aches and pains and relax your body, making you feel less tense and more comfortable when starting your day.
10. Nasal and chest congestion
Allergies or a viral infection like a cold or the flu can leave you a miserable, with a stuffy feeling in the morning, as the mucous tends to build up at night and leads to pain and discomfort the next day. However, the steam from a warm shower taken early in the morning can help with this problem naturally.
11. Low fertility
If you are a man trying to father a child and need tips to make it easier to conceive, you should also consider a cold shower in the morning. Research has found that cold showers can help not just to spice up testosterone levels but also increase the production of sperm, giving you a better chance of being able to start a family.
When is the best time to take a shower?
Best: Morning
As mentioned, showering in the morning is a bit of a tossup — but generally quite good for your health. You may be exposing yourself to more opportunities to get dirty throughout the day, but there are a variety of special benefits of showering in the morning.
Worst: Nighttime (If you take long showers)
While there are some universal truths, your personal shower habits can influence when during the day is the best or worst time to shower. Because of this, for certain people, the generally “best” time to shower — nighttime — can actually be less healthy.
“It’s important to keep your nighttime shower to a minimum,” Sujay Kansagra, Mattress Firm’s sleep health expert and the director of Duke University’s Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program, tells Bustle. “It should last between five and 15 minutes to ensure your body is relaxed and not energized by the excessive heat.” So, if you cannot compromise on the length of your shower, then it’s probably not best to bathe right before bed.
You should take a night shower if:
1. It’s difficult for you to fall asleep:
Your body temperature determines how you will be feeling and getting a relaxing shower can lower your cortisol which is a stress-related hormone. The instant cooling of your body temperature after a shower is considered a natural sleep remedy.
2. You get dirty during the day:
Most of us participate in some kind of outdoor activity on a daily base, or just being at work or school during the whole day makes you feel dirty at the end of the day. Well in fact we are exposed to many types of germs and bacteria in almost any kind of environment, even just being in a city might make you feel in need of a shower at night.
3. Have dry skin or wear makeup
Dermatologists like Holly Phillips suggest that showering at the night is much recommendable for patients who suffer from eczema which is dry skin.
Do we need to shower every day?
Dr. Casey Carlos, assistant professor of medicine in the division of dermatology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine suggests that showering too much isn’t good for you. Carlos explains that it’s quite difficult to get people to use soap only when they need to do so.
Skincare science is simple; soaps remove oils from the skin. In turn, your skin becomes dry and gets a rough texture. Carlos also suggests people should use soap only in particular places such as the groin, armpits, and feet. Furthermore, you should skip using soap on the chest, back, legs, and arms. It’s because our skin has the amazing ability to clean itself.
- The top layer of your skin is composed of dead skin cells that protect underlying skin layers
- The top layer is held together by fats or lipids that are responsible for moisture
- Whenever you shower and scrub, you’re breaking this layer apart
- The more showers you take, the more damage occurs in the top layer
- Due to frequent showers, your skin has less time to repair and recover through natural oil production
- It prevents “good” bacteria from growing on your skin. This good bacterium is beneficial for protecting your skin and your body from infections
- It’s bad for your hair too. Negative consequences include dry, dull hair that is prone to dandruff. In some cases, hair can become greasy as the scalp tries to overcompensate for dryness
However, it’s possible not to shower daily and still look amazing. Below, you can see some style and beauty tips that you’ll find beneficial:
- Remove makeup before bedtime – this will prevent clogged pores, and you’ll wake up feeling fresh
- Put on a new pair of underwear each morning
- Use skin brightening creams to restore a healthy glow
- Use a deodorant that doesn’t leave white streaks. Also, go for the product that doesn’t have a distinctive smell.
- Wear clothes made of natural fabrics, particularly during summer. Polyester and sweat are never a great combination, even when you do shower every day.
- Shave armpits regularly
- Style your hair
- Don’t overdo it with moisturizer
- Use panty liners.
Some tips about taking a shower
The time, temperature, and length of your shower can be a very personal decision, along with the soaps and shampoos you decide to use while you’re in there. Naturally, you’re welcome to do whatever makes you feel best at the moment, but experts have some science-based suggestions about what you should avoid taking part in your morning routine.
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Your morning shower should never be too hot.
Although the idea of starting your morning off with a cold or lukewarm shower might sound unappealing, experts say it’s the best thing for you. “Your morning shower should be lukewarm and not overly hot,” says professional aesthetician Alison Angold. “Very hot water will not only dry out the skin but will also remove the skin’s surface barrier—the acid mantle. The acid mantle is made up of sweat and sebum and gives us an invisible layer of anti-bacterial protection. This protection prevents bacteria from entering the skin but also protects against excessive dryness, sensitivity, irritation, congestion, and breakouts, so it’s an essential component of the skin.”
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You shouldn’t take a long morning shower either.
Although it might be tempting to start your day off with a long, luxurious shower, experts warn against the practice. “Showering for too long can be harmful to your skin,” says Amber O’Brien, MD, a doctor at Mango Clinic. O’Brien suggests spending no more than five to 10 minutes in the shower in the morning.
Vergara-Wijangco also points out that prolonged water exposure could lead to dry skin and hair. Additionally, longer showers give “the water a chance to allow any cleansers to be more damaging,” she says, so the shorter the shower, the better.
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Choose your shower products wisely.
The timing and temperature of your shower could be irrelevant if you’re using all the wrong products while you’re in there. Angold says that some soaps and shower gels can “disrupt the PH balance of this acid mantle and strip it from our skin, leaving the skin exposed to adverse conditions.”
She recommends using a moisturizing body wash or shower oil to “maintain the delicate balance of the skin and leave the skin’s protection in place, while also keeping the skin hydrated and nourished.”