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When it comes to getting some shut-eye after the end of a hectic day, it can often be very hard to switch off and get your body to relax so that you can nod off accordingly.
However, simply changing your shower routine could make all the difference.
If you are one of many sleep-deprived people (you’re far from alone), you might want to try skipping the morning shower session and taking a warm shower at night instead. Why? In a nutshell, before we go to sleep, our body temperature cools, but most of us don’t actually make it to bed during this process so our body ends up cooling too much, and this out-of-whack temp disrupts our sleep. A warm shower helps to prolong the pre-sleep cooling process, leading to a better time in the land of nod.
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To explain this in more detail, according to the Huffington Post, a huge component of our circadian rhythm throughout the day is temperature regulation. Before we are ready to head to bed, the body’s temperature naturally drops, which activates other automatic reactions that prepare us for sleep. When this shift happens, body heat escapes through the skin, which is why you may notice your skin feeling warmer at night.
However, according to LUNA, we don’t often retire to our bedrooms as close to this change as we should, which means the body cools too much and the internal temperature ends up disrupting our sleep rather than enabling it.
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Hoping in a warm shower in the evening can?prolong the powering-down effect, often called: “fluffing that psychological pillow,” and preparing your body to sleep. By keeping your body feeling warm (but not overly hot) as you crawl clean in between your sheets, nice and relaxed, you’re one step closer to drifting off soundly to dreamland.
This very appropriate infographic explains it too:
This writer can attest to this, it really does work. I shower at night, and now know that unless I did, it would take me ages to get to sleep. It makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it; the warm water lowers body tension and relaxes the muscles, two very important elements needed so you can relax properly drift off.
Do you shower at night and find it helps your sleeping pattern? Would you try this?
Via LUNA/Huffington Post
