There are two kinds of people in this world: those who shower in the mornings and those who shower at night. Which group do you belong to?
I shower in the evening after work or right before bed. I almost never shower in the morning. And I think I have some compelling reasons why it’s the best option.
Showering at Night Helps You Sleep Better
This isn’t just an opinion. Experts also agree this is the case:
Showering 1.5-2 hours before bed will warm your body and then also allow you to experience a more pronounced dip in body temperature, which promotes sleep. ~Elizabeth Culnan, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Rush University Medical Center.[1]
Since the drop in body temperature is beneficial for good sleep, it goes without saying that a shower helps.
Evening Showers Wash Away the Workday
While those people in the morning shower camp attest to a morning shower helping them get their day started, I feel like I need to wash away my workday when I come home.
It helps me stop thinking about work.
A poor work/life balance is really bad for you[2]. Not only does it affect your mental health, it also lowers your productivity while you’re at work.
Showering in the evening really helps to create a wall between my work life and my personal life.
You Can Change Your Sheets Less Often
Do you love changing your sheets? No? Me neither.
Climbing into your bed after having the day’s dirt washed off means you can go longer between sheet washings.
While most people already don’t change their sheets often enough[3], slipping into bed after an evening shower will help them stay clean longer.
Caveat: If you happen to have an illness, you’ll want to change all your bedding as soon as you’re feeling better to ensure you don’t contract the illness again.
Showing at Night will Help Your Mattress Last Longer
Did you know that the average 8 year old mattress contains 10 pounds of dead skin cells?[4]
Showering at night helps shed dead skin cells before you get into bed and may help keep your mattress from accumulating so much human gunk.
Final Thoughts
Are you a morning shower person and you totally can’t think of giving up that morning wake-up? Well there’s nothing saying you can’t do both!
Consider doing your full wash shower in the evening and replacing your morning with a quick wake-up rinse.
Your body will thank you for it.
For those of you who already shower at night, keep doing what you’re doing!
Sources & Additional Reading:
1. Real Simple: Is It Better to Shower at Night or in the Morning?
2. Brilliant: A poor work-life-balance is bad – both for employees and employers
3. CNET: Do you wash your sheets enough? Probably not
4. Good Housekeeping: Gross Facts You’ll Wish You Could Unlearn About Your Bedroom
I'm a freelance writer from Israel. I like to write about just about anything. English is my 2nd language so please forgive me if my writing isn't perfect.