Do you struggle trying to fall asleep? Do you feel you don’t get enough sleep and you feel sleepy during the day? You are not alone. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found that one in three American adults have symptoms of insomnia. Data show there are about 100,000 crashes each year related to drowsy driving which results in 1,550 fatalities and 71,000 injuries. The Institute of Medicine reported that the long-term effects of sleep deprivation can cause serious health consequences such as hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and depression.
Many people try over-the-counter or prescribed sleep aids. But is there any way to fall asleep faster and get better sleep without medication?
I am a sleep researcher and graduate student in biomedical engineering at the University of Texas. In a recently published study in collaboration with the UT Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Southern California, colleagues and I showed that a warm bath or shower one to two hours before bedtime can significantly improve your sleep.
Like so many people, I had sleep problems. I struggled falling asleep, I would wake up in the middle of the night, restless and would wake up not feeling rested. I didn’t have a sleep schedule. After I started looking into the data, I realized how many people live their lives in a sleep-deprived state. I was not interested in taking drugs, so that made me interested in studying about non-pharmacological methods to help improve sleep.
My team and I reviewed more than 5,000 studies related to bathing and sleep. Seventeen of these studies met our study criteria to explore the effects of a warm bath or shower on sleep. We used a statistical procedure for combining data from multiple studies and to find the optimal timing for the bath.
We found that a warm bath, of around 104 and 109 degrees Fahrenheit, for as little as 10 minutes can significantly improve overall sleep efficiency. In other words, a warm bath led to more time spent in actual sleep rather than turning or tossing and trying to fall asleep compared to usual sleep without taking bath. When scheduled one to two hours before bedtime, a warm bath can also hasten the speed of falling asleep by about 36%.
We also found that whether people reported feeling rested and like they had a great night’s sleep improved by a warm bath or shower, in most of the studies.
Why does a warm bath or shower help? There is science behind it. Our body temperature is not constant during 24 hours. It is higher in the morning and evening, and it is lowest during nighttime sleep. The body temperature needs to drop to initiate good sleep. When we take a warm bath or shower, the body brings large amount of blood flow to the surface, especially hands and feet. This blood flow brings the heat from the core to the surface and rejects the heat to the environment and causes a drop in body temperature. Therefore, if you take a warm bath/shower at the right biological time — one to two hours before bedtime — it will aid your natural circadian process and improve your sleep.
As a next step, we are now working to design a commercially viable bed system with technology that mimics the effect of a warm bath. The bed of the future!
I can always tell a difference if I take a shower at night before bed in how well I sleep vs when I don't, I took a shower last night one hour before bed and slept like a rock. I always took nighttime showers growing up, but when I used to waitress I would take showers before work and feel refreshed in the morning, I wonder why that has the opposite effect in the morning for me. I never noticed taking a morning shower making me any more tired.
i usually struggle with sleeping i would usually take over the counter meds such as benadryl but ive noticed taking warm showers relax me and help me sleep much better at night.
Earplugs are useful for protecting your ears and people also use them to sleep. They can make a big difference for light sleepers and for those who live in a noisy area. Earplugs are the only way to block out sounds while people sleep. An example is a snoring partner.
I have been reading about epsom salts baths 1-2 hours before bed. The article explained to add 1 tsp of olive oil and 1/2 -1 cup of epsom salts. The epsom salts have a relaxing effect on the body. Also an epsom salt foot bath before bed helps to relax the body promoting a better nights sleep.
The magnesium helps to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and muscle/nerve function
I like the idea about epsom salt baths. I always notice that I am much more relaxed after taking them. Also I've read that being on your computer too much or phone can disrupt your sleep because of the blue light on the screen inhibits your melanin production but there are apps that can change the blue light to red light.
I absolutely love my night time baths! I don't get them every night, but when I do, I sleep so well and wake up more relaxed. There are so many home remedies to help you sleep better so you don't have to take medications. Having a healthy lifestyle and drinking lots of water for starters. Get on a night routine, make sure you go to bed early, no tv. There's a drink you can make that is a natural sleep aid, simply boil some water, pour it over a banana peel with honey, let it steep for a few minutes and voila, this helps you sleep.
@noracrainiectskin-com I have never heard of that banana honey remedy but ill have to give it a try! My family is all about the at home remedies. essential oils and other at home concoctions work well for us!
I completely agree that a bath could help you sleep better! I love a nice hot bath and so does my son. My mom always told me that if i wanted by 1 year old son to sleep the best, to give him a bath before bed. We do our best to stay away from medication and use more natural approaches like a warm bath, essential oils or crazy recipes for our at home remedies.
It takes me a MINUTE to fall asleep while my mom can be passed out as soon as her head hits the pillow. I've always been a shower at night kind of person because it does help me fall asleep better. I remember in high school I tried to be a morning shower person and the warm water would make me even more tired. As I'm getting older I can do a little bit of both, but I always like to shower before bed especially if you have nice warm clean sheets to get into.
@deborah When I was really little my mom used to rub our feet with magnesium oil before we went to bed. I still use it every now and then, but when I was little I thought it was just some crazy mom remedy but now I know it's true!
My husband does not sleep well so he takes Melatonin and even with that he still does not get enough rest. He is going to ask about other natural alternatives. He takes a lot of medicine for his heart and asthma. He is leary of adding anything else but he has to get more sleep
I definitely don't take baths as often as I wish I did. The bathroom attached to our bedroom which is what I use in the morning and night time is a shower only. I feel if I had a bath tub in this bathroom I might take more baths. The most recent bath I took was last August I remember because I got poison ivy really bad all over my body and took an oatmeal bath. I can definitely see how baths at night would help you sleep better. I received Epsom salt in a birthday gift basket from a friend a year ago and unfortunately I have never used it and now would like to test this theory myself.
@noracrainiectskin-com I would love to try this recipe sometime, as I love bananas and almost anything banana flavored but recently within the past few years I developed an allergy to bananas randomly after eating them all the time as snacks with almond and peanut butter.
usually once my head hits the pillow i go straight to sleep but there is a few times when i am just up tossing and turning. i dont like taking baths and i havent really noticed a huge difference in sleep due to showering beforehand, but maybe it is something i could be more intentional about and take note of those nights i cant sleep
@carliecannestroiectskin-com i have read the same thing about the blue light too! its something i have given thought to but when you cant sleep, most people go straight to the phone or tv. havent heard about those apps though
@mikaylaalleniectskin-com Agreed I always take showers at night but i'm not sure if it actually helps me sleep better! I sleep well anyways unless I'm really stressed about something.
I always have nights where I cant fall asleep or I toss and turn the entire night. I've tried sleeping pills and melatonin to help me sleep through the night be they didn't work for me. The only thing that seems to work for me is taking a long hot shower right before I go to bed. I swear it makes a huge difference.
Ive always sworn by showering before bed if i want a good nights sleep. No matter how tired i am, if i fall asleep without taking a shower i always toss and turn through the night.
@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I used to think melatonin was working but eventually it lost its touch for me. I started listening to this guided sleep meditation that guided you through different topics to think about that always helped me fall asleep super fast. The video was only 6 minutes long and i always fell asleep before it ended.
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I totally agree with you and Lauren. If im stressed, im tossing and turning all night long. Sometimes taking a hot shower at night does help but it all depends on what is stressing me out. Ive always reached for melatonin and that helps but of course it makes me slightly groggy in the morning. Sometimes there is no winning haha.
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com Omg I have done that as well where I've been so stressed about something that I have dreams about how horrible it goes! An example is starting a new job; It's always exciting yet very unsettling for me so usually the night before I have a weird dream about how I show up late on my first day or something goes terribly wrong. Ugh they always feel so real too
@carliecannestroiectskin-com I also like the ideas of taking a bath before bed. I usually take a nice hot shower but can totally agree a nice bath with epson salt and bubbles would be better.
I am one of those people that have a hard time sleep and when i do fall asleep my next challenge is to stay asleep. I have tired the sleep aids and they only worked for me for about a week. I also tried the rain noises but they sometimes scared me when i got into my deep sleep.
