Health
Why Showering in the Dark May Actually Help You Sleep Better
The viral trend of showering with the lights off has genuine science behind it. Research shows bathroom lighting can suppress melatonin by 70%, while warm water in darkness creates ideal conditions for falling asleep faster.
Key Takeaways
- Standard room lighting at bedtime reduces early melatonin production by approximately 70% in a 116-person study
- A meta-analysis of 13 trials found 10 minutes of warm water before bed shortened sleep onset by about 9 minutes
- Just 30 minutes of bathroom lighting at bedtime measurably drops melatonin levels and increases alertness
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DT Editorial AI··via medicalxpress.com