When Is the Best Time to Take a Shower? Experts Sound Off

Stock image of a shower. (Tookapic/Pixabay)

One doctor has suggested that the best time to shower is at night rather than in the morning.

Dr. Leona Yip, a dermatologist, told the Daily Mail that nightly showering for four minutes is enough to remove the grime of the day and not cause any skin damage.

“In the morning your skin hasn’t been exposed to any dirt or grime,” said Yip, who is based in Australia.

“Obviously if you live in a warmer climate like Brisbane people might have to shower once or twice a day to get rid of that built-up grime but that’s mostly not necessary,” she said.

She also added that people who shower twice per day should use a soap-free sanitizer and use moisturizers.

“Those who want to be under the water for longer than four minutes, say to wash their hair, should turn off the water while they scrub and just turn it back on to rinse,” Yip added.

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

Martin Reed, a certified sleep health educator and founder of Insomnia Coach, said that showering at night might be linked to a more quality sleep.

“An evening shower one to two hours before bed may be beneficial for sleep because the rise and subsequent fall in body temperature can help strengthen the sleep/wake cycle,” Reed said, according to Apartment Therapy. “A relaxing night-time shower can also be part of a relaxing evening routine to help you unwind and prepare for sleep.”

“If you like to shower in the morning, do it,” Nancy Rothstein, who dubbed herself The Sleep Ambassador, told Fox News. “But definitely shower at night. It’s so important to go to bed clean, and it separates the day from the night.”

Dr. Natasha Cook, another dermatologist, wrote that bathing in the evening might provide some benefits.

A woman in the shower (BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock)

“This includes both environmental pollution (yes, a lot of pollution accumulates on the skin and produces free radical damage and inflammation) and metaphorical pollution,” she said on her website. “Having a warm shower relaxes muscles, calms your central nervous system (especially when you give your skin a rush of cold water) and helps you sleep.”

However, Cook wrote on her website that one should be able to shower at both times of the day and don’t “over-cleanse.”

“Foaming products strip the skin, wear down and damage the epidermal barrier layer and function. This layer is imperative to healthy, high-functioning skin,” said said on her website. She said that people who bathe in the early morning should oscillating the temperature from warm to very cold.

“Stand under the cold water as long as you can stand then switch back to warm,” she said, adding that the change in the “water temperature on the skin wakes up the cells: the cold shuts down the circulation and the warm reopens it. Repeat the temperature switch three times for best results.”

Meanwhile, Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, has said there are benefits to showering in the morning.

“A morning shower allows for time to meditate and regroup before starting a long or hectic day,” she said. “This mindfulness can decrease inflammation in the skin by keeping levels of a hormone called cortisol capped.”