The Reason Hot Showers Help You Fall Asleep

It’s that time of year when a warm shower before bed helps to stave off the cold a little bit.

But besides having a little break from the cold weather while inside a steaming hot shower, there might be another health benefit to jumping inside a warm shower before bedtime.

According to Dr. Karan Raj – who regularly posts health tips and habits to his TikTok – a hot shower ahead of bed might actually improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Granted, it only really works if the water is warm. So, if you’re someone who prefers a cold shower, this won’t be of any benefit to you. However, if you like your showers hot, then you might be setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep.

As Dr. Raj explained on TikTok, hot water will actually help to lower your core body temperature, and it’s this lower core body temperature that is perfect for getting to sleep and enjoy a full night’s rest.

Of course, if you’re looking to stay awake – especially in the mornings – then a warm shower isn’t the greatest idea as it’ll make you sleepy. Instead, that is when a cold shower would do you some good. That’s because cold water will raise your body’s core temperature, and this is what makes you feel alert and away.

As Dr. Raj shares in a comment on his TikTok video, “Warm/hot shower induces vasodilatation (widening) of blood vessels to lower body temp, cold causes vasoconstriction (narrowing) to raise core temp.”

Check out Dr. Raj’s TikTok video about showering before bed down below:

@dr.karanr Warm vs cold showers #coldshower #sleep #lifehack ♬ Cornfield Chase – Dorian Marko

Do you usually shower at night, in the morning, or both? Are you going to try taking a hot shower before bed? Are you going to try taking a cold shower in the morning?