Dark Showers: The Wellness Trend Promising Better Sleep and Reduced Anxiety
The latest wellness trend sweeping social media is the 'dark shower', a practice where individuals take a shower at night with the lights firmly switched off. Proponents claim it offers benefits such as better sleep, reduced anxiety, and enhanced mindfulness, though scientific backing remains limited. While not a new concept, with many online users swearing by it for years, its popularity has surged recently due to viral videos on platforms like TikTok.
What Is a Dark Shower and How Does It Work?
The approach to dark showers varies from person to person, but core principles typically include:
- Keeping light to an absolute minimum, often relying on a small candle or night light.
- Avoiding music or any external noise to create a quiet environment.
- Focusing on clearing the mind and concentrating solely on the physical sensations of showering.
For example, social media users like @xtrishanderson share how, in a fast-paced career, silent drives and showers in the dark help them wind down. They describe lighting a favourite candle and enjoying the sound of water as a great stress reliever, using hashtags such as #showertok and #nightshower to spread the trend.
Potential Mental Health Benefits Explained by Experts
Although there is no strong scientific research specifically on dark showers, Dr Suzanne Wylie, a GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, suggests they may support mental wellbeing by reducing sensory stimulation. She explains that many people face constant sensory and cognitive loads from bright lights, screens, and noise, which keep the brain in an alert, stress-responsive state. A dark, quiet shower could positively impact the nervous system, shifting it away from a 'fight or flight' response towards relaxation.
Additionally, Dr Wylie notes that bright light suppresses melatonin, the hormone involved in sleep preparation, so avoiding it in the evening might aid circadian rhythms. Without visual distractions, individuals can focus more on physical sensations like water warmth and breathing, potentially enhancing mindfulness.
A Personal Experiment: Challenges and Surprises
To test the trend, one individual switched from their usual morning routine—a hot, stimulating shower with music—to dark showers for a week. The adjustment proved challenging initially. Using a small tea light that quickly faded led to difficulties, such as confusing shampoo with conditioner and almost twisting an ankle on a bath mat in the darkness. Anxiety thrived, with fears of intruders seeing a dark house, making the experience surprisingly stressful.
On subsequent nights, swapping to a proper nightlight and focusing on the quiet and warmth improved the experience slightly, but it still felt more like a hassle than a spa-like retreat. However, an unexpected benefit emerged: despite the initial struggles, falling asleep became easier on nights with a dark shower, suggesting a potential sleep aid effect.
Expert Insights on Sleep and Routine
Zoe Gotts, a consultant clinical psychologist at the London Sleep Clinic, supports this observation, explaining that bright bathroom lighting late at night can signal the brain that it's still daytime. Showering in low light may avoid this alerting input and support the body's natural wind-down into night mode. She adds that the combination of reduced visual stimulation, warmth, and steady water rhythm can help some people feel more settled, while for others, it acts as a routine signal that the day is ending, reducing pre-bed anxiety common in insomnia.
In summary, while dark showers may not be transformative for everyone, they offer a simple, accessible method for some to improve sleep and mental wellbeing, despite potential hazards like disorientation or accidents in the dark. As with many wellness trends, personal experience varies, and it's worth trying cautiously to see if it fits individual needs.
