How a Hair Dryer Improved My Sleep
Do you avoid taking showers or baths at night because you don’t want to deal with the hassle of blow drying your hair, either because you have a lot of hair or long hair or just limited time (and energy)? I get it. Washing your hair at the end of a long day sounds exhausting.
Not only did I find a solution for that, but I also discovered ways the hair dryer is linked to strategies for better quality sleep at night.
In my 20 years of being super diligent about my sleep, I have learned a long list of sleep hacks that I now teach to my clients. The tips range from dimming the lights in the evening to watching liquid consumption in the hours before bed. Not every hack will work for every woman, so I advise my clients to do what works best for them.
As you read through the tips in this article, I would give you the same guidance. Do what works best for you, not what works best for your friend or some guru on IG – just you. Test out one strategy at a time and keep what helps you get more high-quality rest.
In my experience, nothing sets the tone for a good night’s sleep better than calming and cleaning your body before you jump into your super-soft sheets (also a hack). Yes, like all of my tips, research supports this recommendation.
A warm shower or bath helps regulate the body’s core temperature before bed. Our body experiences a range of temperature changes throughout the sleep cycle. Like everything during our sleep, there is a purpose to these changes. A bath or shower can actually help promote sleep with a slight elevation in our core temperature.
The other benefits of a warm bath or shower go deeper – maybe even a tad emotional. At the end of the day, if we can allow ourselves a minute or two to reflect on which gems from the day to keep and which to wash away, I’m all for the better for it. Remember the “Calgon, take me away” commercials? The few minutes you spend alone in reflection during a bath or shower might be critical for helping you wind down from the day.
Okay, back to the heart of matter…to dunk your head in the water or not?
I tend to take a bath most nights. It’s how I get in my magnesium with Epsom salts. Yet, I used to only dunk my head under water occasionally because I did not want the hassle of drying it before bed. Just thinking about it extended my time before my head hit the pillow. But what I came to realize is that putting my head under water during my bath made a huge difference to my bedtime routine. I literally wash away one of the dirtiest parts of my body, and I get a more thorough, soothing cleanse than when I only get my body wet. The quiet I feel with my head under water is incredibly calming, a strategy we all need in those hours and minutes before bed. Pre-bed, calm is key.
So we feel calmer, but now we have to deal with the wet hair. If you are like me, blow drying your hair feels like its own workout. In fact, we were just discussing this during one of my recent concierge small group sessions. We were talking about the fact that a bedtime routine is an essential component of any successful sleep story. One of our members, Susan, said that she cannot shower (or at least get her hair wet) because it takes too long to dry her hair afterward. Most of the women in our group agreed, admitting that they are so exhausted by the end of the day that a shower or bath feels out of the question.
I pushed back. “It doesn’t have to be!” I shared. It’s all about how you look at it. That extra time bathing and drying your hair is an investment for better sleep, and if the 20 minutes you spend doing that means you get restful sleep throughout the night, wouldn’t it be worth it?
And then I realized that I have been holding out on my clients and you. One key to this whole bath-before-bed equation is the hair dryer!
I purchased a new hair dryer a few months ago to help my keratin treatments last longer. My hair grows very fast, and I wanted to see if I could get away with just one keratin treatment per year. Each treatment is an investment, and I want to extend the life of each one as much as possible.
So I tested out a new hair dryer that just happened to now be my new favorite sleep-related hack. It dried my hair in just six minutes. YES, just six minutes. The dryer is a Shark SpeedStyle, and this addition to my routine has made my sleep that much sweeter.
I’m fresh and clean. I’m not dirtying my sheets. I’m relaxed because I’ve just washed away the day and am looking forward to tomorrow.
Think about it. If you could eliminate the excuse of wet hair before bed, wouldn’t you try bathing at night in exchange for high-quality sleep? My clients have, and now they cannot imagine preparing for bedtime any other way.
As I said, not every sleep hack works for every woman. I would love to help you refine your routines to get more restful sleep every night. You can get on my calendar for a free consultation HERE.
