Hot showers could be sending you back to sleep. Photo / 123RF
Hot showers could be sending you back to sleep. Photo / 123RF
Apparently there's a right and a wrong way to shower – and people have been showering the wrong way for years.
There's nothing like a good, hot shower to wake up and get ready for the day, but it turns out it might not be helping.
Hot showers could be sending you back to sleep.
Online health and wellness website, Self, reported that coming out of a steamy shower and stepping into cool air causes a sudden drop in body temperature, which leads to a more relaxed state.
To combat this sleepy state, you should try to end your showers with bursts of cold, then hot and cold water again.
So, just before you step out of the shower, whack on the freezing cold water for 30 seconds and turn it back to hot, before blitzing the cold on again.
The sudden change from cold water back to hot opens up the capillaries underneath skin, which increases blood flow.
According to research, cold water immersion has been linked to an increased stress tolerance, a stronger immune system, increased fat burning – as well as having antidepressant effects.
But cold showers might not be for everyone, especially if you don't want to freeze your backside off.
So try out one of these suggestions:
Sweat, sweat, sweat – If you struggle to get to sleep and find you're never rested properly, try getting a workout in before bed. By exercising out the day's work, strength training can be used to guarantee a restful night's sleep.
Treat yourself – Giving yourself a little pamper every now-and-again doesn't hurt anyone. Trying out an overnight treatment can leave you refreshed and recharged.
Good habits – By setting out a plan for the day, you can work towards goals, which build up motivation and allow you to get cracking for the day ahead.
How you shower affects your skin
When it comes to how you shower, well, that's a whole other debate.
Earlier this year, a woman by the name of Alice, sparked a massive debate on Twitter after she asked if it's normal to shower with your back to the shower head.
Her question immediately sparked a heated discussion with thousands of people weighing in.
"I face the water to keep my hair from getting wet and then spin round and hold my hair out of the way to do my back," one person said.
"See I'm not the only one who thinks facing the water is strange," another added, tagging their friend.
But, while many of the responses were mixed, some people said it also depends on whether you're washing your hair or just your body – to which Alice explained she was referring to the latter.
"I wash my hair every other day, and the in-between days I have a bath to wash," she wrote.
According to a poll conducted by news.com.au, most people shower with their backs to the shower head.
Out of 12,089 votes, 30 per cent face the shower head, while the remaining 70 per cent prefer their backs to it.
"I always face away from the water," Alice said on Twitter. "You stand underneath the water with your back to the shower head so water runs over you!"
According to a poll conducted by news.com.au, most people shower with their backs to the shower head. Photo / 123RF
But according to a clinical professor of dermatology, there might actually be a right and wrong choice here.
"The real scientific answer behind it has to do with moisturising your skin," Dr Cameron Rokshar at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago told Today, adding that facing away from the nozzle has a clear advantage.
"The more exposure you get to water, and especially hot water, the drier your skin becomes," he said.
"If you face the shower and have a whole bunch of water hit your face for 10 or 15 minutes, and you get out and do nothing about it, that has a drying effect. Water, as it evaporates, takes more water with it.
"I probably face the shower with the water hitting me. I don't think you face one way the entire time – I'm probably a 70-30 kind of guy."
