A little over a month ago, I made the switch from taking showers in the morning to taking them at night shortly before bed. I decided on this for a variety of reasons which I'm about to get into, but after just a short time of doing so, I can say with confidence that I'm going to be a "night showerer" for as long as life allows me to.
I had been taking morning showers ever since I was a teenager, as the hot shower was the only way I could wake myself up at six in the morning to get to school. When I started college as a Freshman and had to take early classes every day, that trend continued.
However, around the time I turned 21, I began to notice a shift in how much energy I had at specific points in the day. Every morning, regardless of how much sleep I got, I'd have so little energy that my stomach wasn't even awake enough to have an appetite for breakfast. As the day would go on, I'd gain more and more energy, to the point where by the time it was nighttime, I'd be wide awake.
Over time, things got to a point where I sometimes didn't even have the energy to shower, and on class days would just wake up, grab my bag, and go, PJ's and everything. That's not a good habit that someone preparing for a full time career should have.
After doing a little research and talking with a few peers, I took note that I seemed to be one of the few people that had showering in my normal morning routine, as most of them showered right before bed. I had always been wary of the night shower, since I have a tendency to heavily sweat in bed and sometimes wake up gross, but since I was desperate I was willing to give it a try. After a hectic day where I once again missed my morning shower, I went for it, and never looked back.
The first thing I noticed while in the shower was a different kind of atmosphere, a much more relaxed one. Usually during a morning shower, I'd be trembling with the shampoo bottle, all anxiety ridden over the day that was about to unfold. This time, though, I was thinking freely and had pleasant thoughts as I took my shower.
When I got out and dried off, a sudden comfort came over me when I realized I'd be getting changed in comfortable PJ's rather than putting on day clothes. It felt so natural and relaxing to dry off and change into clothes for bed rather than throwing together the outfit of the day.
Within the next 20 minutes, I was in bed, anxiety free and very relaxed. I drifted off to sleep without any issues. When I woke up the next morning, I was free of any sweat, felt very high energy, and was able to properly prepare for my day of classes.
Over a month later, I still have more energy and less stress than I've had before. I'm sleeping better and once again getting a grasp on staying focused and motivated throughout the day. Never would I have guessed that switching to night showers would make me feel so much better. You never know what can happen if you make a simple adjustment to your lifestyle. Over time, the body and mind constantly change, so it makes sense that certain habits need to be changed or adjusted as well.
So, do you swear by the night shower? Or, do you benefit from the shower starting your day? I can't speak for everyone, but being a man of nocturnal showers changed the game for me.
