Better Bedtime: Warm Showers and Hot Footbaths

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Having a hard time falling asleep? Look no further for help than your water heater. Experts have found that hot water could help induce a better sleep. They stated that if you take a hot shower or a hot footbath, a deep, restful sleep awaits you in bed.

Body Temperature and the Circadian Rhythm

Tim Miller Plumbing, a plumbing company in Nelson, agrees that there’s nothing more frustrating than finding out that you’ve run out of hot water. It could be especially frustrating when you’re aware of the role hot water could play in your nightly rest.

Exposure to warm water could help induce sleep because body temperature is central to the circadian rhythm. It’s the body’s natural mechanism dictating when to be alert or groggy. During the day, body temperature rises, that’s why people are active. It starts to cool off in the late afternoon, telling the body that it’s almost time to rest.

Taking a hot shower aids the temperature drop. Once you step out of a hot shower and walk into a cooler bedroom, your body cools off. The temperature drop prepares the body for sleep by slowing down metabolic functions, such as the heart rate, breathing and digestion.

Right Time for a Warm Shower

Showers have to be taken at the right time though. According to experts, people shouldn’t take hot showers right before going to bed. They should wash up about an hour and a half before dozing off, giving the body enough time to cool down. Moreover, experts recommend keeping the water under 40°C to prevent raising the body’s temperature too much and becoming alert.

Not Fond of Evening Showers? Try a Hot Footbath

Warming the feet could also help. A study found out that participants who slept after a hot footbath experienced more rapid eye movements (REM) than those who didn’t. REM sleep enhances learning, memory and mood. Lack of REM sleep could lead to problems with coping abilities, migraines and weight gain.

Hot showers and footbaths can give you a better rest. So, before you turn your lights out, consider warming up your body under a jet of warm water.

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