Dark Showers for Better Sleep and Stress Relief

A new trend that is spreading like wildfire in the social media landscape is the ritual of ‘dark shower’ for achieving better sleep and stress reduction. Even though the official research activities by the scientific communities are in progress, thousands of individual reports show that dark showers are very effective. By quietly transforming itself into a mindfulness ritual for inner calm, dark showers, can actually gift you those much cherished hours of deep sleep. Read on; we have covered everything you need to know about this wonderful technique.

Dark shower is a simple bathing technique in which you will take your regular showers in a low-sensory atmosphere with either dim lights or no lights at all. The central principle behind the habit is to inculcate the features of mindfulness into the regular ritual of bathing. An increased focus on the physical aspects of water drops falling on your body, sounds and smell, along with the reduction of visual stimulation, may provide us a subtle transition from alertness into restfulness.

A key feature of this technique is the freedom that we attain from the visual sensory overload. Throughout the day, screens, strong lights and visual stimuli are constantly bombarding our brains. However, when you engage in the ritual of bathing in warm water, inside a totally dark bathroom, your brain will receive the message to wind down. For best results, we can take dark showers about 90 minutes before going to sleep. Absence of visual inputs and distracting lights, can quietly transition our nervous systems into the “rest and digest” phase or the parasympathetic mode.

As you deeply immerse yourself in experiencing the calming effect of warm water falling on your body, sounds of water droplets falling on the ground and the smell of oils or soaps, this simple ritual will naturally transform itself into a form of standing meditation. In 10-20 minutes, you will have a calmer mind and a relaxed body.

Thirdly, remember to use warm or hot water for engaging in dark showers. Research shows us that, when hot water falls on the human body, the core body temperature will rise quickly. However, this rise will be followed by a significant fall that will help produce melatonin, thereby improving your sleep quality. In short, a dark shower in hot water can actually do wonders to your sleep and stress-reduction journey.

Use serene scents such as chamomile or lavender to create an extra layer of calmness for the mind.

Become consistent with the habit. Therefore, in the long term, your mind will associate dark showers with “winding down.”

If darkness makes you scared or jittery, add soft night lights or candles.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are signs of lack of sleep?
   Persistent tiredness, headaches, illnesses, difficulty concentrating and mood changes are all signs of lack of sleep.
2. What foods promote deep sleep?
   For deep sleep, eat foods rich in tryptophan such as turkey, eggs, nuts, seeds and those foods containing enough melatonin like tart cherries, pistachios and milk.
3. What food is highest in melatonin?
   Nuts and milk belong to the list of food items containing the highest amounts of melatonin.