AS IT has probably been about 10 minutes since you've heard the latest social media-inspired life-changing health hack that you simply must adopt, we're here to help.
This time it's dark showering.
As the name suggests, it's showering at night with the lights low or off.
"Light powerfully influences the brain," psychiatrist Dr Daniel Amen from California told Fox News Digital.
Bright light and blue light raise cortisol and lower melatonin, telling the body to wake up, whereas low light activates the parasympathetic nervous system and the body begins to relax, he explained.
"Think of dim lighting as turning down the brain's 'threat radar'," Dr Amen said.
"Less stimulation makes it easier for the logical part of your brain to take over again - for many people, that means feeling calmer, clearer, and more grounded."
If you're keen to give it a go, he suggests turning down the lights an hour or so beforehand, then in the shower turn the lights off and don't use your phone (people do this?).
Make sure the bathroom is around 18-20C, and have soft towels ready to hand.
Dr Amen said it "doesn't have to be long - 15 to 20 minutes is enough" (clearly water supply isn't an issue in California).
If you're after the opposite effect, it's a cold shower in the morning with lights and phones - and scratchy towels?
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 11 Nov 25
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