As the nights draw in, one way to stay warm before bed is to have a shower before wrapping up for the night – but what is this doing to your quality of sleep?
One doctor has taken to TikTok to share how a shower before bed impacts your sleep – and how taking one first thing in the morning can also be key to your sleep cycle.
Dr Karan Raj, who boasts a whopping five million followers on the platform, shared in a video that: “Having a warm shower before bed paradoxically cools your core body temperature.”
This can lead to you having a better night’s shut-eye, he explained, as “you need a lower core temperature before you go to sleep as it lowers the sleep threshold”.
He added in a follow up comment on the video that a warm or hot shower induces vasodilatation (widening) of blood vessels to lower your body temperature, while having a cold shower causes vasoconstriction (narrowing) of blood vessels to raise this core temperature.
And if you’re someone who struggles to get themselves going in the morning, you can use this science to your advantage, said Dr Raj.
“Having a cold shower in the morning will make you more alert,” he added.
“A raised body temperature means you’ll be more alert throughout the day.”