PETALING JAYA: It's late at night, you had a long day, and you have an early day ahead of you. You're trying your best to wind down and fall asleep but it's not happening.
Perhaps a shower could help. There's a new sleep trend where people shower with the lights dimmed or turned off, said to help people fall asleep better at night.
But does it work or is it just a soothing ritual that feels good at the end of a hard day?
VERDICT:
TRUE
The trend is called dark showering, and it is taking a shower under dim light conditions or with the lights off.
Now before you go and try this yourself, do keep in mind the safety aspect, as a lot of things can go wrong in a dark, slippery bathroom.
Make sure that you are able to move around with little to no issue with your vision and do be careful with water on the floor.
Now the explanation.
Neuroscientist Dr Chelsie Rohrscheib said that dark showering may prepare the brain and body for sleep, which improves sleep onset time and overall sleep quality.
“For the brain to initiate sleep, the body must undergo a slight drop in core body temperature (usually by one degree),” Rohrscheib was quoted by health website Healthline.
“Taking a warm shower quickly raises body temperature and then rapidly drops core temperature when you exit the shower.
"This mimics the natural process that occurs in our body before sleep, making it easier for the brain to transition into sleep,” she added.
Rohrscheib also noted that showering in the dark limits light exposure in the evening, which can help support the body’s natural circadian rhythms and signal that it’s time to wind down.
“Melatonin is a circadian rhythm-regulating hormone created in our brains that signals when it’s time to be awake versus asleep.
“Its production is regulated by light information entering our eyes, where consistent light exposure suppresses melatonin production and lower light levels increase melatonin production,” she said.
This is also shown in a research study catalogued on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI / PubMed), which reports that standard bathroom lighting delivers a potent biological wake-up call at the worst possible time.
Researchers found that just 15 to 30 minutes of exposure to conventional bathroom vanity lighting before bedtime significantly suppresses the production of melatonin and activates intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), directly increasing subjective alertness and physiological arousal right before sleep.
Meanwhile, sleep medicine consultant Dr Allie Hare noted that dark showering provides mental health benefits as well.
“Experiencing showering in the dark or dim light can support relaxation through mindful enjoyment of the experience,” she said.
“This can help with winding down and switching off before bedtime, which can also help individuals fall asleep more easily.”
So, dark showering might be the way to go before sleeping, but again, we would like to reiterate that you should be careful not to stumble on the toilet as you exit.
Source:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.
https://www.independent.co.uk/
