Internet divided over the 'correct' time to shower

Are you a morning or a night type of person? Well, now a doctor has weighed in on the ideal schedule...

There’s one topic that gets people riled up like no other, and that’s the ‘correct’ time to shower. 

Are you a morning-only apologist or can you not fathom the idea of going to bed unwashed?

Well, now a doctor has weighed in with the ‘ideal’ routine, hopefully putting to rest the debate once and for all. 

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Morning showers or night showers? That is the question

On social media, people debated it out, with people from either camp passionately arguing their cases.

“You will never convince me to go to bed dirty,” one said.

Another wrote, “Morning showers wake me up!”

And a third remarked, “Both. Let’s not get into a clean bed all dirty, and let’s freshen up in the morning.”

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Then this person suggested this approach: “Night showers during the work week and morning showers on the weekends.”

“I always shower at both times because I'd never leave the house without one, and I have looong busy days - I'd never get into my bed stinky. I'm a water-baby so bathing is not a chore for me at all. I'm also a product addict so it's like a goddamn bougie spa in there,” concluded someone else. 

“I shower every morning. It helps me wake up and start my day. But in summer I shower at least two or three times a day because it's damn hot,” another woman replied.

Then this person wrote, “I have the 'long shower' at night, aka body scrubs, washing hair if needed... But I always have a cold rinse before work in the mornings as well otherwise I feel sticky.”

“I CBF showering in the morning so I always shower before bed. There's no better feeling than jumping into bed all squeaky clean,” concluded another Aussie. 

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A doctor weighs into the debate

To find out more, Kidspot spoke to our resident GP, Dr. Sam Hay, who shed some light on the topic.

“It's generally well accepted that we need to wash, and if you're a parent of a teenage boy - we wish it was ten times a day.  That's certainly excessive - because you can wash too much.  But how often is ideal?  And when is the ideal time?” he begins. 

It turns out, like with most things health-related, it’s contextual. 

“I hate to say it - but it really does depend,” he says. “In general, we should all wash 'about once a day'. Some people just aren't that smelly and don't get that hot and manky - so they might feel comfortable skipping a day between scrubs. Some of us build up a sweat working or exercising and just feel comfortable keeping 'clean' a couple of times a day.  

“Either way, sticking to cooler showers and using non-soap washes ensures we don't dry and irritate the skin too much.”

And in terms of timing, “our body just doesn't care,” according to Dr. Hay.

“It really all comes down to your schedule, routine, and general need to feel clean and refreshed.

“Personally, I hate going to work with the general stink of drool and bed on me - yuck!

“Lastly, if you're not a good sleeper, then a nighttime sponge might work for you. A hot shower or bath increases your body temperature; then sleep may come more easily as your temperature drops in the hour or so afterwards.”

So there you have it! You do you!

Originally published as Internet divided over the 'correct' time to shower