Lifestyle / Wellness / Sleep

Want to Fall Asleep Faster? Take a Bath at This Time

Soak it up.

Rebecca Deczynski

Updated Sep 20, 2018 11:49 AM

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There’s nothing quite like a nice, warm bath to quell your racing thoughts. It’s one of the easiest things you can do for instant relaxation, and now, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, we know that it might just be the trick to falling asleep faster, too—as long as you time it right.

Researchers found that “water-based passive body heating” (aka a warm bath) of approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit (more than 100 degrees below boiling point, FYI) can improve sleep quality and the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, as long as it’s experienced one to two hours before bedtime. And if you don’t have time for a full bath, no problem—apparently, as little as 10 minutes spent in a warm shower helps, too.

While further studies are necessary to fully back these findings, it all makes plenty of sense to devoted night showerers and bath lovers. Plus, we can all use an extra excuse to treat ourselves to some self-care at the end of a long day. Here are four products we recommend to make your nighttime bathing routine even more relaxing. At this rate, you’ll be asleep in no time.