Is it better to shower at night or in the morning?

There are pros and cons to showering at night or in the morning, said experts.

Showering at night not only washes off the day’s accumulated perspiration and allergens, including pollen that can irritate skin, it can also regulate your body temperature and help induce better sleep.

Sleep expert Dr Janet Kennedy said in an article in The New York Times that the body cools down as bedtime approaches. “Showering artificially raises the temperature again and allows for a faster cool down, which seems to hasten sleep,” she said. 

Showers taken at least 90 minutes before bedtime can be stress relievers because they reduce cortisol levels, according to a Daily Mail article published on Tuesday (Feb 6).

Washing up at night also helps skin to regenerate better, said Dr Samer Jaber, a New York-based dermatologist, in the same Daily Mail article. Skin sheds and builds new cells during sleep, and getting rid of the dead skin cells with a full-body shower can help skin do its job, he said. If you are too tired to shower, at least wash your face, he added.

Those who prefer morning showers can attest to the perk-me-up effect they have - and more, according to a study from Harvard. Just as night showers help to reduce cortisol levels to induce relaxation, the same hormonal action in the morning can lower stress and boost creativity.

“Your cognitive processes relax, renew, and regenerate, and your ideas and solutions will effortlessly present themselves,” said study author and Harvard psychology lecturer Dr Shelley Carson.

For men, morning showers may work in their favour if they shave, said Dr Jaber. "It might be better for men to shower first thing in the morning before shaving because the warm water can decrease ingrown hairs,” he said. The same applies to women who shave.

If you can't decide, showering in the morning as well as night is harmless as long as you don't dwell under hot water for longer than 10 minutes as that can strip away skin’s natural oils, said Dr Jaber.