Why Showering Before Bed Is the Best Nighttime Ritual You Can Do

You go through the day working, picking up your kids, grabbing an evening drink with friends, or hitting the grocery store.

Or maybe it's a day off, and you barely leave the couch, or working from home means staying home most days.

Depending on the kind of day you had, is it okay to skip a shower that night?

Of course, maybe you're one of those who use a morning shower to get the day going each morning when you wake up or after that morning workout.

Whatever your ritual is, according to the Sleep Foundation website, 38% of us shower at night or right before bed; however, the majority of us want to shower each night and just don't. 

I get it, though.

You're super comfy watching television or reading, and the last thing you want to do is go through the whole getting wet thing, then grabbing your robe to warm up after you step out of the shower.

Maybe this will help.

According to the Sleep Foundation, showering or taking a bath before bed helps you sleep so much better through the night. You may feel more awake initially, but when you don't have anything to do after a shower, get ready. Your body will go into relaxation mode quickly. 

The warmth of the bath or shower opens our blood vessels, bringing a large blood flow to the surface of the body, especially in the hands and feet. After your warm shower or bath, your warm body goes into a cool-down mode. This triggers your circadian rhythms that tell your body it’s time to sleep. So we do, or at least we may feel tired.

It also removes residual grime, dirt, and lotion or other products from the day. According to the Cleveland Clinic Health website, if you're routine of morning showers works for you, then it could be hard to change it up. After all is said and done, you may just end up sticking with mornings, so no biggie.

But know this. According to CBS News, even if you don't sweat during the day, you still gather dead skin cells, excess oils, and the like each day, so rinsing or washing that off each night also contributes to a nice lull into dreamland.