9 Science Approved Life Hacks To Make Everything Better

7. Still Can't Sleep? Shower At Night

The world is split into morning showerers, who think that leaving the house in the morning without showering is icky, and night showerers, who think that getting into bed all dirty is icky. Well, there are pros and cons to both camps, but showering at night could help you sleep like the proverbial baby. This seems counterintuitive, as a morning shower usually helps to wake you up, but it's all based on your metabolism. As you step out of a hot shower and humid bathroom, into a relatively cool bedroom, your body temperature will drop. As the temperature drops, so will your metabolic functions such as your heart rate, breathing and digestion. This triggers the sleepy feeling that helps you nod off. A temperature drop as a cue to go to sleep makes a lot of sense if you think bout it. Before humans lived in lovely, heated houses, the temperature would drop of significantly after the sun went down, signalling to your brain that it's sleepy time. Studies have shown that temperature cues are a universal circadian trigger in most mammals. As well as relaxing your body, an evening shower is a good way to relax the mind as it creates the perfect storm for working through the day's events (this is also why people tend to get their best ideas in the shower), leaving you relaxed, refreshed and squeaky clean for a great night's sleep.