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Topics: Health
Callum Jones
A doctor has explained how often you should shower, which is apparently dependent on what stage you are in your life.
Having a shower is part of a daily morning routine for most people, while others may decide time for shower thoughts is after a busy day at work.
Whenever you get clean, having a shower is of course essential to maintaining good hygiene levels and setting a good impression.
But how often should you actually shower? Is having one every two to three days sufficient enough? Or is one required every day?
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Well, thankfully, Elizabeth Gordon Spratt, MD, is on hand to detail all and, apparently, it's actually based on your age.
But first, Dr Gordon Spratt explained why showers are so important.
Writing in a University Hospitals blog, she explained: "Bathing is an important ritual for our bodies for several reasons. Throughout our daily life, sweat, bacteria, dead skin cells and pollutants from the environment accumulate on our skin, and washing helps remove them."
You'd often think that showering more frequently would mean you're as clean as ever, however, it can actually cause some problems for your skin.
"Our skin’s natural moisture helps protect it against environmental stressors," the health expert added. "If a person bathes too often, or they use hot water or soaps with strong detergents, it can disrupt the skin’s protective natural moisturizing barrier."
Dr Gordon Spratt then went on to say that most adults should be showering once a day, but that can be stretched out to two to three days for the elderly.
The doctor explained that this is because those who are over 65 tend to have drier skin, and frequent bathing could worsen this.
The medical expert went on to give further advice on why more than one shower is not advised.
"The maximum recommended number of showers for most people is two showers per day," Dr Gordon Spratt said.
Recently, people have embarked on a new trend known as 'dark showering', which as you'd probably expect, involves taking a shower in the evening.
Practitioner Nidhi Pandya explained to Real Simple: "Unlike [an early] morning shower, which is typically bright, energizing, and focused on cleansing and awakening the body, a dark shower is a ritual for the nervous system.
"By dimming or turning off the lights, you create a sensory cocoon that signals the body to unwind."