If you’re a victim of disturbed sleep, you could be in luck – experts have found a technique to help you naturally nod off.
Sleep scientists have long suggested banning all technology before bed, cutting out caffeine and having the same number of fixed hours kip every night as simple ways to combat insomnia.
Now, experts have claimed that taking a warm shower in dark or dim light — a recent viral social media trend — may also improve sleep quality.
Medics said they could not prove exactly why this was the case.
But they suggested it may be because dim lights could help signal the body to relax and wind down, helping people fall asleep more quickly.
Dr Allie Hare, a sleep medicine consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital, told the Independent: ‘Studies have shown that taking a warm shower or bath before bed can help improve sleep quality and reduce time taken to fall asleep.
‘This is likely to relate to the effect of the warm shower on reducing core body temperature, key signal for sleep onset.
‘Taking a shower under dim light conditions may also help to signal to the body that it is time for sleep because dim light is a signal for the release of one of the key hormones for sleep, melatonin.
Experts have claimed that taking a warm shower in dark or dim light — a recent viral social media trend — may also improve sleep quality
‘This can help with winding down and switching off before bedtime, which can also help individuals fall asleep more easily.
‘Gentle music can also help calm the mind, although some will find the sound of the water sufficiently relaxing in itself.’
Dr Clare Rooms, clinical lead for Insomnia at Boots Online Doctor, also said: ‘Showers in low light won’t solve severe or persistent sleep issues on their own, but they can be a helpful part of a relaxing pre-bed routine.’
Dark showering has been popular among wellness experts for years, who claim the practice is a way to ‘cleanse the energetic residue of the day and prepare for night, rest or intimacy’.
In recent months, however, it has also gained traction online with social media users raving over its benefits.
In one TikTok video seen more than 12,000 times, the user said: ‘One way I reset my nervous system as a stay at home mum is by taking a shower in the dark.’
In another, a user told how she was ‘addicted to showering in the dark’.
People often take around 10 to 20 minutes normally to nod off after turning off the lights, the Sleep Foundation also say.
Last year, a study found that around one in six Brits suffer insomnia, yet 65 per cent never seek help for their sleep problem.
The poll of 2,000 people, by The Sleep Charity, found nine in ten experience some sort of sleep problem, while one in two engage in high-risk or dangerous behaviours when unable to sleep.
Poor sleep has been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, stroke and infertility.
Experts have long advised that waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which figures suggest affects up to 14 million Brits.
Still, sleep deprivation takes its own toll, from irritability and reduced focus in the short term, to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million Americans also have a sleep disorder.
