"It’s probably more important to be cleaning your bedsheets than it is to be showering in the evening," says Holly Wilkinson, senior lecturer in wound healing and the microbiome at the University of Hull in the UK. "Because if you’re going to bed showered but leaving those bed sheets for a month, then that is going to accumulate bacteria, dirt and dust mites."
This is a problem, as long-term exposure to dust mite excretions increases your risk of allergies. If you are somebody who is already sensitive to allergens like pollen, then not washing your bed linen will also likely make your symptoms worse. It’s also possible that regularly going to bed in dirty sheets could increase your risk of skin infections – although the [evidence fo…
"It’s probably more important to be cleaning your bedsheets than it is to be showering in the evening," says Holly Wilkinson, senior lecturer in wound healing and the microbiome at the University of Hull in the UK. "Because if you’re going to bed showered but leaving those bed sheets for a month, then that is going to accumulate bacteria, dirt and dust mites."
This is a problem, as long-term exposure to dust mite excretions increases your risk of allergies. If you are somebody who is already sensitive to allergens like pollen, then not washing your bed linen will also likely make your symptoms worse. It’s also possible that regularly going to bed in dirty sheets could increase your risk of skin infections – although the evidence for this is inconclusive.
Benefits for sleep
Some proponents of nighttime showers argue that it helps them sleep better, and there is evidence to support this. For example a meta-analysis which compared the results of 13 studies found that having a 10-minute warm shower or bath an hour or two before bedtime shortened the time it took to fall sleep significantly. It’s possible raising the body temperature before cooling it down again acts as a circadian signal telling our bodies to prepare for sleep, although again more research is needed to confirm this.
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• How often should you wash your feet?
So where does this leave us in answering the question is a morning or evening shower best? Freestone prefers a morning shower, as this will scrub away much of the sweat and microbes picked up during the night from the bed, allowing you to start the day fresher and cleaner.