Is It Better to Shower in the Morning or at Night?

No research suggests that morning showers are necessarily better for you than night showers or vice versa. It comes down to preference because both have benefits, depending on your schedule and lifestyle.

You might step into the shower every morning because it helps wake you up, or you might take a shower at night to wash the day away.

But scientific evidence supporting one type of shower over the other is limited. It really just comes down to preference.

Health and wellness touch everyone’s lives differently. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Healthline Media. All quotes are strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Does it matter what time you shower?

You don’t need to align your shower with a certain time of day for health benefits. Either, depending on your preferences, can be good for you.

Benefits of a morning shower

You may find that you benefit from a morning shower if you:

• Need a morning pick-me-up: Not everyone rises in the morning feeling ready to go. If this sounds like you, a warm (not hot) shower may help. You might also want to try turning the water to cold for a moment as an extra wake-up call.
• Want to start the day fresh and clean: Your bed contains sweat, skin cells, and skin oils, and showering in the morning sends this residue that you might have picked up overnight down the drain.
• Style your hair: If you wake up with unruly hair, you’re not alone. A morning shower can help reset your hair, especially if you use hair products that call for application on wet hair.

Benefits of a night shower

However, if going to bed clean rather than starting the day clean is more your style, you may benefit from a night shower.

Some benefits of showering in the evening may include:

• Removing a day’s worth of dirt: Your skin picks up bacteria and grime whenever it comes in contact with something or someone. Showering at night stops this gunk and other topical skin care products you might apply throughout the day from getting into bed with you.
• Cleaner sheets: If you go to bed clean, you won’t have to worry about your sheets getting dirty as fast. But your sheets will still inevitably get dirty over time.
• Better sleep: While research doesn’t support a specific shower time to reap benefits, it does suggest that a warm shower or bath before bed may help you fall asleep faster and boost sleep quality.

Morning showers

• serve as a wake-up call
• clean start to your day
• better for styling damp hair

Night showers

• go to bed clean
• cleaner sheets
• potentially better sleep

Showering tips (no matter the timing)

Consider some of these pointers the next time you shower for potentially even more benefits:

• Use warm water: Hot water (above 104ºF [40ºC]) may feel good, but it’s more likely to dry out your skin and aggravate inflammatory skin conditions, like psoriasis or eczema. A hot shower may also raise already high blood pressure.
• Add a blast of cold water at the end: Though it might not sound the most pleasant, a dose of cold water may help promote healthy skin and hair, increase circulation, and wake you up (if needed).
• Use gentle soaps and cleansers: Opt for gentle body washes instead of harsh scrubs and heavily scented products, especially if you live with an inflammatory skin condition or have sensitive skin.
• Limit your showers to 5 to 10 minutes: A long, hot shower at the end of the day may sound relaxing, but according to the American Academy of Dermatology, try to limit your showers to between 5 and 10 minutes, especially if you have dry skin or an inflammatory skin condition.
• Pat your skin dry: After your shower, try not to rub your skin, as this can dry it out and damage its moisture barrier, which is what helps your skin hold onto moisture. Instead, gently pat it dry.
• Follow up with a moisturizer: To lock in moisture, try applying a gentle moisturizer within a few minutes of toweling off.

Be sure to connect with a healthcare professional if you live with an inflammatory skin condition, have chronic dry skin, or another skin disorder before changing your shower habits.

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