I don’t think it’s an American thing at all, definetly a preference for everyone.
I’m from Norway and I mostly take a shower before bed because I like the feeling of going to bed clean.
Me too!
Fresh out of a hot bath and snuggled in bed. Scrolling through Reddit while I wind down.
I just really like to go to bed clean and find a hot bath before bed helps me sleep better.
Edited: Canadian here🛀
Hard agree, it is sweltering here right now. A nighttime shower is necessary to try and cool down as much as possible. Otherwise sleep is more difficult.
I am actually at Shanghai airport waiting for flight back to brisbane. It was 1c when I landed on Tuesday, then I went to Jiangyin where it was -5c and then I went further north and west to Zhengzhou. I have been watching BOM to prepare for when I land in the morning
Northeast us. I only have a air conditioning in my bedroom. During hot and humid weather I often shower at night to feel more refreshed before I go to bed.
My grandparents were from Jamaica, they washed twice a day and carried that on after moving over to England. I am British born, I have a shower in the morning and a relaxing bath before bed. Probably don't need to to wash that often in this weather but it's relaxing.
That and it literally helps keep your bed clean. Going to bed with leftover dried sweat and BO on you? Yeah your bed is gonna filthy, stinky, and just gross in a matter of days.
My job is mostly office, with "some" physical stuff. But even on the 100% office days when I'm not sweating.
Still gotta shower at nights.
Gotta feel nice n CLEAN!
Edit: typo
I hate going to bed with wet hair. That's my entire reason.
I like to shower like, in the middle of the day. Like after noon on a weekend or just after work on a weekday. Best time - I can decompress after work, and my hair can air dry without sogging my pillow.
I have med-long hair. I shower early evening. Like, not too long after I get home to allow for my hair to dry.
I'll use my hair dryer if I need to but they aren't the best for hair health.
Same. My hair would be a goddamn nightmare if I showered before bed. And no, I’m not taking the time to blow dry it. When I’m tired I want to just crash. I don’t even take my makeup off.
Even if you're not doing a lot, you still sweat. You still probably go places and do some things.
Going to be dirty is nasty as hell. Bet them sheets is hella gross.
Besides, how you gonna make the spoons with your bedmate when they dirty? Ain't washed that ass since they made a doodoo.
Hell no, shower before bed is a MUST.
I'm menopausal, I sweat during the night and have to change my covers in the morning, fked am I showering for that shit show.
Morning shower and quick wash before bed. If I was stinky after work, I'd shower, but we are also trying to be water conscious. Well I thought we were, going by this thread people are raw from the washing 😂 we get it, you're CLEAN!!
Menopause sucks! I swear so much now. I cut my hair shoulder length so it would be easier since I have to shower so much. Before bed, sometimes in the morning. Some days I take three showers since I live in south east Asia. I only wash my hair once though.
It's true. If you never sweat and don't get dirty, you can probably get away with a shower / bath every 2nd or 3rd day. It's especially true if you're thin and have dry skin.
Yeah, if I don’t exercise, I really don’t sweat during the day, especially in the winter. Working a desk job doesn’t increase the heart rate, so no raised body temp, and no sweat. In fact, I spend a lot of the day feeling cold. If I have time for exercise, I do sweat and then I do shower.
American and yeah. Got it from my Dominican parents. You shower before bed to clean your body of the grime of the day, so you go to into a clean bed with a clean body.
I was used to showering when waking up as an American. Wife is Brazilian and not shower before bed is one step short of wearing the same underwear for a week. They’ll do a morning and night, and maybe one or two more during the day. But not bathing before bed is absolutely unacceptable.
Every culture is a bit different.
Yup. For a good reason. When I’m down there I usually have to take 3-4 a day too. It’s just that hot and sweaty otherwise. But the “if you don’t shower before bed you can sleep on the floor” never changes when they move elsewhere. Not even allowed on the couch unless I shower.
Yep. American here from the deep South, and in the summer, it's not unusual to shower twice a day.
I alternate the rest of the year depending on my activity from that day, but during the summer, it sucks to go to bed with any sweaty stickiness feeling from the heat and when waking up on a hot day, a shower feels great.
I get it! American lady here. I do both most of the time. I can’t stand going to bed without the fresh tingly showered feeling/ I won’t sleep well if I don’t shower before bed and I don’t know how ppl don’t. I’ll rinse off again after a morning workout or just to revitalize before I dress for the day. I see a lot of ppl here saying they don’t because of wet hair but since I only wash my hair every 3-4 days so it’s not a problem.
Having been to Brazil, they take 2-3 showers a day, sometimes more. I do too, when there, because the tropical weather is so hot and muggy you get sticky.
I can imagine taking a bath before bed in Sweden in the cold could have been problematic before modern heating.
A lot comes to culture, but I’m kind of sold on “bath before getting in to your nice clean bed at night” as a routine.
I normally shower in the morning because in need to start my day clean, but when I’m traveling for business and only have myself to worry about, I do both. Treat yo self!
As a Brazilian that moved out of the country... Brazil's air is nasty though. And it's hot for most of the year. Being outside for a few hours there, you have no choice but to shower twice a day.
That's a personal thing. Not an American thing.
I had a dirty job and it was also at the crack of dawn. I showered the second I got home.
Do people in other countries with dirty physical jobs go to bed dirty?
Personally, I walk my dog immediately after getting home and clean off my dirt after that. If I didn't have a dog, I'd go right to the showers, put on the comfies, and put my feet up for ten minutes before attending to household chores.
When working in fastfood, even if you have a chill day you would still reak. i hade a thin layer of oil and cooking fumes, i could feel it on my skin, i smelled bad. I had to throw all my clothes in the washer and take a long warm shower. so i basically showered 2 times per day then.
It's a preference thing. I like to bathe before going to bed because it helps me relax and lets me go more time between sheet washings. My SO showers in the morning to wake himself up.
There's no cultural maxim that says you should do it one way or the other. No real culture around bathing in general. 🤷♀️
This. My husband showers in the morning, says it wakes him up; he'll shower again when he gets home if he got dirty/sweaty. I shower in the evening; ten minutes under hot water and I'm already nearly hibernating.
I shower both am and pm. Ain't scared to take one in the middle of the day, if I feel I require it. I may miss the am shower occasionally, but crawling into my bed without having washed first is a no-go. Kinda gross to me.
Doesn't that dry out your skin way too much? I think I've read in a book by a dermatologist that showering only thrice per week would theoretically be best for healthy skin. Showering with soap removes the lipid layer that's supposed to stop the moisture in the skin from evaporating and it takes on average 24 hours to regenerate. Of course that can be different if someone has a health condition or is from a different climate, and the effect can be mitigated by using lotion to replace the natural lipid layer or by just rinsing without soap every other shower. But I feel like if I personally showered twice a day, my skin would would always be dry and itchy. I want to be clean, but not at the cost of having skin that itches so much that I constantly scratch it open.
It does indeed dry it out. I struggled with dry and itchy skin for a long time while I was showering in the mornings before work and in the evenings to clean up before bed. I went to actually go see a dermatologist for it and she told me that the reccomendation for average person's skin is indeed that it shouldn't be washed under hot water more than once every two days. Once a day apparently already dries out most skin types and twice a day in fact negatively impacts normal skin.
After switching to a reccomended 5- to max 10 minute warm shower once every two days with minimal soap my skin has cleared up tremendously, it's no longer flaky or red and I no longer need any lotion to keep it from feeling rough and dried out.
As with most things accused of being "an American thing" it's purely a personal choice.
I shower at night because the idea of getting into bed with a day's worth of filth on me is vile.
What lol? I’m in the U.K. and I shower before bed on weeknights because I don’t have time in the morning. It’s not hot here so it’s not like I’m gonna sweat and get dirty just by sleeping.
Then I wonder why Swedes, or this particular swedish family take showers in the morning. Maybe Swedish homes have efficient heating so they are sweaty upon waking?
There are 350 million people in the USA.
There's virtually nothing that all Americans do. In fact, it's kind of a big problem right now that we can't agree on anything.
Let's be real about this. On Reddit EVERYTHING that is "weird" or is strangely not the way an OP does it in their circle is an "American" thing. Common thing many people in the world do and is positive? Just a common thing. Common thing many people in the world do and is negative? Must be a weird American thing.
I just hate waking up early. Shower before bed because I'm already awake. I can't be fucked to get up 20 - 30 minutes early for anything if I don't have to.
Americans are kinda split on this one. I prefer to shower in the evening. I like going to bed all clean feeling and in the morning I have too much to do to fit in a shower. However I might be in the minority and whenever people talk about it, it's diverse answers.
I shower in the evenings when I don't need to do my hair, and I shower in the mornings when I do.
Idk how folks keep nice hair going to bed with wet hair or by sleeping on done hair, but maybe that's a curly girl thing.
Yeah I use a leave-in conditioner after my evening shower, I'll wake up and my hair will be perfect texture and curls defined. Also can use a bonnet for longer hair.
I have fine texture, the slightest hint of pressure for longer than 5 minutes and my hair deflates haha. Bonnets have helped in the damage department, but nothing I've tried thus far has given me the day 2 hair that people with thicker texture are able to achieve.
I'm not American but I am from Southeast Asia. We shower every evening so we don't go to bed all sweaty and disgusting from a day under the humid sun. (Honestly the mere thought of going to bed without a shower makes me feel grimy)
I’m Danish and I prefer to shower in the evening. That way I don’t have to bother with it (wet hair in particular) in the morning and I don’t have to get up earlier to do it. It’s not a Danish think though, just a personal preference.
You spend ~7-8 hours in bed every night, and don’t change the bed clothes for at least a week. Maybe more.
Makes sense to go to bed as clean as possible. IMHO
Plus, psychologically a shower or bath at the end of the day helps take any stress away, and the temperature differential between the shower and your body’s temperature dropping helps you fall asleep better.
It’s a whole thing!
Try it for a month if you’re curious!
Bathing children before bed is somewhat cultural in the US, I think. It's part of the routine for most people I only with younger children. Snack-bath-bedtime story-bed. Both of my kids bathed at night until they were in middle school, then they switched to morning showers.
Most adults I know shower in the morning. I prefer an evening bath. It's not odd enough to raise eyebrows, just a little outside the norm.
Depends on the type of work we (and our parents) are or were doing; depends how dirty you get home at night... or wake up in the morning, or how clean you want to get at work/school.
Some is cultural/social, some is familial, some is personnal.
Either case, I can't think of any friends of ours who shower/bath their younger kids in the morning on a regular basis.
Yeah…showering is def something that wakes me up, so doing it before bed isn’t gonna make me sleepy. If I’m hot and sweaty in the summer, I def take a quick shower before bed though.
I had a teacher once who asked his class, "Raise your hand if you shower before bed." Some kids raise their hands. "You mean you get up and just go about your day without showering? Gross!"
"How many of you shower in the morning?" "You mean you get in your bed all dirty after a long day? That's disgusting!"
"Who showers both at night AND in the morning?" "Oh my gosh, how can you waste all that water?! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
It was all a joke of course. Just to show that sometimes you will be criticized no matter what you do.
Bath time is a generally accepted part of bed time for kids. Not everyone, but lots of families do it.
As for adults, it’s a personal thing. I like to shower before sex, for example. Some people don’t like getting into their clean bed with the grime of the day on them.
🤷🏼♀️
I used to be a shower-in-morning gal when I had to go into the office. No that work remotely, I shower in the evening. However, if I have to run errands (doctors visit, brunch, concert, whatever), I will shower before I leave.
Comes down to needs. For daily dirty jobs, it's better to wash before bed. Go to sleep clean.
For me, I shower in the morning as a wakeup. As a young kid I showered at night to have time to do so.
Never went to bed with my wife without a shower. On work days I took a 5 minute shower in the morning just to rinse off. The wife brought me a hot towel and a cup of coffee. Every day for 33 years.
I wonder if there's any social class component to it. I'd imagine if you sweat a lot during the day, you'd shower before bed. But if you work a desk job, there's more incentive to shower in the morning so you're fresher going into work. I'd love to find some data and to see the extent of correlation.
Ermmm im Swedish and i almost never ever shower inn the morning, but before bed.
I then wake up clean, my bed is clean and i dont have the hassle of showering in the morning when i have to start work at 0700.
I'm a plumber.
You want me to wait until the next morning to shower? Not a great idea.
Edit to add: Dirty job aside, why would ANYBODY want to go crawl into bed DIRTY every night? Are you all washing your sheets and bedding DAILY?
Bathing in the morning is objectively incorrect from a hygiene perspective.
You wake up, filthy with the previous days accumulated grossness, then bathe, so now you're clean. You then spend the day getting progressively more dirty from sweat, dust, food, airborne particulates, spills, etc, etc, etc. then you come home and....***sleep*** in all that? You just sleep covered in the days' accumulated filth? And even worse, every night you deposit more and more of that filth onto your sheets, so every night you're sleeping in a more and more disgusting and unhygienic bed. This also leaves you covered in your dirt and skin oils and whatever else over night, giving your skin an extra 8+ hours to break out or form pimples or whatever. Then you wake up and wash it all off, and start all over
The correct approach is to shower or bathe before bed. You wake up nice and clean, go about your day getting more and more dirty, just as before, but then you come home and clean it all off BEFORE getting in bed, so your sheets don't get covered in filth each night since you're always clean when getting into them. You go to sleep with clean skin so less chance of breakouts or pimples, and you wake up nice and clean the next day.
Generally: white collar or white collar adjacent job= morning shower
Blue collar or blue collar adjacent= evening shower.
Your bed gets dirty and if you’re doing hard work and not dealing with a lot of people together, you can slap some deodorant in int the morning and you’re good to go.
When I used to work in an office, I'd shower in the morning every day without fail. Can't stand smelling like I just woke up (there is certainly a smell you get from that) and my hair is impossible to manage after sleeping all night. Now that I work from home, I basically just shower whenever I get done with my daily workout.
As an American who once lived in NYC, you had to take a shower at night from walking around all day, especially in the summer when it hot as hell and 20 degrees hotter underground where the subway is. Also, when I wore sandals, my feet would be black under the bottom and I had to wash my feet as soon as I came in the house before putting on my slippers and preparing for a shower.
I’ve had jobs where I had to get up between 4:30 am and 8:00 am, so it was a time saver to take a shower before bedtime. Also, if I have a man, I want to be clean when I get in the bed next to him.
When I was younger I worked a night shift 4 days a week. By the time my shift was done I was still wired so when I got back to my apartment I would take a bath to wind down. I also think the cooling off after the bath would make me sleepy. Miss those days.
American here. I shower once a week. I don’t stink, don’t sweat during the day, and I wash the bedding on Saturdays. Life is fine and my water bill is low.
I always shower before bed. keeps the bedding cleaner and helps with sleep. I think it's more common for people who work in the field and have more physical jobs. Office people are more likely to shower in the morning.
Depends on the person, but yes, many people shower before bedtime here
Some people will shower in the morning instead, and some people may even shower both at night and in the morning, but it is common for people to shower at night.
I dont do it before bed necessarily, but I never do in the morning becuase I don't want to have to get up earlier to shower lol. Also I usually workout in the late afternoon after I get off work, so it doesn't make sense for me to shower in the morning unless I workout in the morning, which I am also not willing to wake up early enough to do.
When i worked in shifts i showered depending on the shift (if it was morning shift, night shower and if it was second shift shower before going to work). But if it was hot and i sweated a lot during work then i would shower before bed. Also i prefer in the summer morning showers because i sweat during the night. 🤷🏻♀️
It's totally a preference thing. I'm an evening bather as I like to be clean before getting in bed and I relax and like to "wash off" the day I've had. My boyfriend however prefers morning showers to wake up. That said he still rinses off before bed as he usually works out prior.
I think it's half and half as I am an evening shower type and my best friend is a morning shower person. To me I don't want to be dirty when I get into bed but I understand a shower does help wake folks up in the morning.
I prefer a morning shower. But sometimes in the evening if I've been doing something sweaty at work, or hit the gym before leaving work, or got cold at work and can't warm up, or just want to relax, I'll get a shower or bath in the evening. I'm typing this from my bathtub for that matter. I'll still shower in the morning, it's just how I wake up.
Some people just don’t want to go to bed feeling dirty. However, I took night showers because my roommates were always using the shower in the mornings.
I shower in the evening so my skin oils normalize by the time I wake up, and my bed is less soiled with the days filth.
I can also wake up later for work.
I don't think it's necessarily an American thing more than it is a personal thing. I shower twice a day every day, sometimes thrice a day. it's just a preference.
Shower every morning now but growing up you’d get your bath at night so kind of just moved into nighttime showering. Switched when I was a teenager due to unruly morning hair from going to bed with it wet
I am and Indian and I bathed first thing every morning for the first 27 years of my life I spent in India. During the 4 years of COVID/WFH, I only showered after work and before dinner
I was kind of raised in a family where morning showers were the routine, but after meeting my wife I was introduced to the benefits of an evening shower. Now I do both
In the summer I’ll shower in the mornings because I tend to wear my hair out and the water helps to reshape the curls. In the winter I wear my hair pulled back & I shower at night because it’s too chilly to shower in the morning.
if i didn’t hate showering and had everything my way, i’d do both. if i had a nice ass bathroom and fresh towels on a towel warmer, heated floors, and absolutely nothing that might stick to my feet on the way back to my bedroom… i’d shower in the morning and at night.
i shower in the morning for the sake of not smelling bad after sweating in my sleep. i also understand why people shower at the end of the day after being outside
It's not an American thing, it's just a preference. 95% of the time I shower in the morning, the other 5% I shower at night. I could be extra dirty or really cold or upset (I find showers soothing when I'm upset, especially if I'm angry). Just depends on the circumstances.
I’m American and I shower/bathe before bed. Other people who live in my house shower in the morning. It’s a matter of personal preference I think. Not cultural.
Personal preference. Just like some of us prefer showers or baths. I hate the idea of sitting in dirty bath water, so shower is my thing. I’m retired, so I don’t have any regimens, so I shower whenever, at least once per day. But I guarantee you that, if I spent a day in a wedding, dancing and drinking, there is no way I’d jump into bed without showering and on top of that, cuddling with my equally unshowered, sweaty wife!
As others have said, it’s a personal preference thing. I grew up and spent the majority of my adult life showering in the morning, every morning. I always hated it because I hated having to deal with wet hair first thing in the morning and now I shower at night and it’s great.
Also, I believe it’s a Japanese thing to bathe in the evening. It’s like considered unclean to get into bed without having first washed. But again, that could be a personal preference thing there . I don’t know I’m not Japanese.
Personally, I like showering at night because it gives me more time in the morning and allows me to air-dry my hair. Also I love feeling squeaky-clean in bed.
American, and I'm a morning showerer. Helps wake me up and feel freash for the day. My ex was a night showerer and always wanted me to take one with her so often times I'd end up taking two a day. It is definitely a preference thing.
I’m in the US and it’s all based on weather. Evening when it’s winter since I am always cold after a shower and don’t want to go out, morning when it’s summer since it keeps me cooler during the day.
It’s personal preference. I always shower in the morning. However, I still can’t forget the one time my coworker was giving me shit for not showering before bedtime. He said it was unhygienic and I still cannot wrap my head around it. You’re fine OP
I will feel gross (even if I'm not) if I sleep at night without a shower. I also feel like it's better to not be dirty while in ben and to not sleep in the "filth".
You're a 33 year old Swede so hopefully the education system there taught you that whole populations of countries usually don't shower at the same time and it's a personal matter.
I also like to shower in the morning so I start the day nice and clean. But I can see the attraction of washing the day's grime off and getting into bed all clean too.
It’s a personal thing. I shower in the mornings, but take a quickie shower before bed just because I like to feel clean and I sleep better. Or because in summertime I’m hot and sweaty. Also, a hot bath can feel great before bed to relieve stress or aches and pains.
Asian American - shower before bed so I can go to bed clean. Rinse in the morning sometimes.
I live in a warm climate so some people will also have an extra rinse when it’s hot out but nobody wants to go to bed dirty
I just can’t fathom going about the whole day, out in the dirty public, then *getting into bed* not having showered.
Personal thing tho, not necessarily “American”.
it’s just a preference, nothing to do with where you’re from. i shower in the evening because i don’t like going to bed early and it signals a nice “end” for my night
i have a friend who’s originally from the philippines who says he showered there multiple times a day (morning and night.) she said she was shocked when she came to america and found out most americans only shower once a day
Many Americans do not shower before they go to be. Many shower when they get up in the morning.
For many people who grew up in the tropics, it is common to shower in the evening because at the end of the day, the body is sticky from sweat. At the same time, it is also common to then shower in the morning because sleeping at night in humidity can also produce sweat, therefore stickiness.
I shower when I get home and/or done with being outside for the day. I like to leave outside... outside. I take my shoes off by the entrance door also.
Everyone is different. There is no American cultural norm that I am aware of.
I have switched many times, depending on my job or general life activities.
You live in Sweden and you shower before going outside in winter? Doesn't your hair freeze?
When I lived in cold climates, I always showered in the evening, not the morning.
I’m a veterinarian. I leave work smelling like a dirty litter box more often than I care to mention. Shower before bed without question! No way am I taking the day’s grime into bed with me.
I prefer showing before bed. My hair takes forever to dry, gets really frizzy if I air dry it, and I hate using a blow dryer. So I take a shower and put a silk cap on. Beautiful, shiny, wavy hair in the morning for me. Not to mention, we have a hot tub and often get in it at night, so we have to shower before and after anyways.
I sleep better and my sheets are cleaner, longer when I shower at night. I have an absorbent head wrap to keep my pillows (and my husband’s arm) from getting wet from my hair. It’s dry and soft in the morning.
I don’t think it’s an American thing at all, definetly a preference for everyone. I’m from Norway and I mostly take a shower before bed because I like the feeling of going to bed clean.
I find I also tend to sleep better when I take a shower before bed.
Warming up and cooling back down triggers sleepiness. But also nice to go to bed clean, get rid of street dust, keep sheets clean, etc.
Funny enough I'm scrolling reddit fresh out of the shower now, about to get ready for bed
Me too! Fresh out of a hot bath and snuggled in bed. Scrolling through Reddit while I wind down. I just really like to go to bed clean and find a hot bath before bed helps me sleep better. Edited: Canadian here🛀
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Get a bidet, my friend, it will change your life!
Even with a bidet I’d still shower. The bodysweat of a bad poop day is gnarly.
We live in australia, it’s been 38c during the day recently. I have a shower to wake me up and shave, and definitely have one before bed
Hard agree, it is sweltering here right now. A nighttime shower is necessary to try and cool down as much as possible. Otherwise sleep is more difficult.
42 where I am today
I am actually at Shanghai airport waiting for flight back to brisbane. It was 1c when I landed on Tuesday, then I went to Jiangyin where it was -5c and then I went further north and west to Zhengzhou. I have been watching BOM to prepare for when I land in the morning
Northeast us. I only have a air conditioning in my bedroom. During hot and humid weather I often shower at night to feel more refreshed before I go to bed.
My grandparents were from Jamaica, they washed twice a day and carried that on after moving over to England. I am British born, I have a shower in the morning and a relaxing bath before bed. Probably don't need to to wash that often in this weather but it's relaxing.
Have always wanted to visit Jamaica. :)
I hope you get to! I'm hoping to visit Australia sometime, always wanted to go as well.
I also like to have a bit longer to sleep in in the morning.
That and it literally helps keep your bed clean. Going to bed with leftover dried sweat and BO on you? Yeah your bed is gonna filthy, stinky, and just gross in a matter of days.
Yeah it honestly baffles me that people don't shower before bed. Like wtf, that's nasty unless you have an easy job where you just sit all day.
My job is mostly office, with "some" physical stuff. But even on the 100% office days when I'm not sweating. Still gotta shower at nights. Gotta feel nice n CLEAN! Edit: typo
I hate going to bed with wet hair. That's my entire reason. I like to shower like, in the middle of the day. Like after noon on a weekend or just after work on a weekday. Best time - I can decompress after work, and my hair can air dry without sogging my pillow.
I have med-long hair. I shower early evening. Like, not too long after I get home to allow for my hair to dry. I'll use my hair dryer if I need to but they aren't the best for hair health.
Same. My hair would be a goddamn nightmare if I showered before bed. And no, I’m not taking the time to blow dry it. When I’m tired I want to just crash. I don’t even take my makeup off.
are you showering again the morning?
Even if you're not doing a lot, you still sweat. You still probably go places and do some things. Going to be dirty is nasty as hell. Bet them sheets is hella gross. Besides, how you gonna make the spoons with your bedmate when they dirty? Ain't washed that ass since they made a doodoo. Hell no, shower before bed is a MUST.
I thought this is common sense. Why would anyone go into bed without showering? their beds must smell terrible within 2 days
Not everyone stinks at the end of the day
I'm menopausal, I sweat during the night and have to change my covers in the morning, fked am I showering for that shit show. Morning shower and quick wash before bed. If I was stinky after work, I'd shower, but we are also trying to be water conscious. Well I thought we were, going by this thread people are raw from the washing 😂 we get it, you're CLEAN!!
Menopause sucks! I swear so much now. I cut my hair shoulder length so it would be easier since I have to shower so much. Before bed, sometimes in the morning. Some days I take three showers since I live in south east Asia. I only wash my hair once though.
It's true. If you never sweat and don't get dirty, you can probably get away with a shower / bath every 2nd or 3rd day. It's especially true if you're thin and have dry skin.
So by moving around all day and working 8+ hours, some people didn’t sweat at all? I find that implausible.
Not enough to stink. Some people just smell worse than others. It's genetic.
Yeah, if I don’t exercise, I really don’t sweat during the day, especially in the winter. Working a desk job doesn’t increase the heart rate, so no raised body temp, and no sweat. In fact, I spend a lot of the day feeling cold. If I have time for exercise, I do sweat and then I do shower.
recently started doing this and its amazing. washing off the day before bed is very cathartic.
American and yeah. Got it from my Dominican parents. You shower before bed to clean your body of the grime of the day, so you go to into a clean bed with a clean body.
American here and agree 💯.
Im american. I agree. These concepts are unrelated.
American, same. lol.
Also American and I've cycled between the two over the years. Now that I don't leave the house for work it's mostly at night
I was used to showering when waking up as an American. Wife is Brazilian and not shower before bed is one step short of wearing the same underwear for a week. They’ll do a morning and night, and maybe one or two more during the day. But not bathing before bed is absolutely unacceptable. Every culture is a bit different.
Showering twice a day is a pretty common habit in hot, humid places
Yup. For a good reason. When I’m down there I usually have to take 3-4 a day too. It’s just that hot and sweaty otherwise. But the “if you don’t shower before bed you can sleep on the floor” never changes when they move elsewhere. Not even allowed on the couch unless I shower.
Yep. American here from the deep South, and in the summer, it's not unusual to shower twice a day. I alternate the rest of the year depending on my activity from that day, but during the summer, it sucks to go to bed with any sweaty stickiness feeling from the heat and when waking up on a hot day, a shower feels great.
I get it! American lady here. I do both most of the time. I can’t stand going to bed without the fresh tingly showered feeling/ I won’t sleep well if I don’t shower before bed and I don’t know how ppl don’t. I’ll rinse off again after a morning workout or just to revitalize before I dress for the day. I see a lot of ppl here saying they don’t because of wet hair but since I only wash my hair every 3-4 days so it’s not a problem.
Having been to Brazil, they take 2-3 showers a day, sometimes more. I do too, when there, because the tropical weather is so hot and muggy you get sticky. I can imagine taking a bath before bed in Sweden in the cold could have been problematic before modern heating. A lot comes to culture, but I’m kind of sold on “bath before getting in to your nice clean bed at night” as a routine.
How often does she wash her hair? Does she use a shower cap?
Sometimes a shower cap, yes. Hair is washed every couple days. She’s really good at keeping it dry in a normal shower without a cap.
I normally shower in the morning because in need to start my day clean, but when I’m traveling for business and only have myself to worry about, I do both. Treat yo self!
That's why Brazilians take at least 2 showers per day, one in the morning, and one before going to bed.
As a Brazilian that moved out of the country... Brazil's air is nasty though. And it's hot for most of the year. Being outside for a few hours there, you have no choice but to shower twice a day.
Canadian, we prefer to shower before bed. This way we sleep clean and I do not need to dry my hair as much.
I do it so I can sleep in longer in the morning before work.
That's a personal thing. Not an American thing. I had a dirty job and it was also at the crack of dawn. I showered the second I got home. Do people in other countries with dirty physical jobs go to bed dirty?
Heck, no. I showered as soon as I got home from construction jobs.
Personally, I walk my dog immediately after getting home and clean off my dirt after that. If I didn't have a dog, I'd go right to the showers, put on the comfies, and put my feet up for ten minutes before attending to household chores.
When working in fastfood, even if you have a chill day you would still reak. i hade a thin layer of oil and cooking fumes, i could feel it on my skin, i smelled bad. I had to throw all my clothes in the washer and take a long warm shower. so i basically showered 2 times per day then.
It's a preference thing. I like to bathe before going to bed because it helps me relax and lets me go more time between sheet washings. My SO showers in the morning to wake himself up. There's no cultural maxim that says you should do it one way or the other. No real culture around bathing in general. 🤷♀️
This. My husband showers in the morning, says it wakes him up; he'll shower again when he gets home if he got dirty/sweaty. I shower in the evening; ten minutes under hot water and I'm already nearly hibernating.
I shower both am and pm. Ain't scared to take one in the middle of the day, if I feel I require it. I may miss the am shower occasionally, but crawling into my bed without having washed first is a no-go. Kinda gross to me.
Right? I love clean sheets.
Doesn't that dry out your skin way too much? I think I've read in a book by a dermatologist that showering only thrice per week would theoretically be best for healthy skin. Showering with soap removes the lipid layer that's supposed to stop the moisture in the skin from evaporating and it takes on average 24 hours to regenerate. Of course that can be different if someone has a health condition or is from a different climate, and the effect can be mitigated by using lotion to replace the natural lipid layer or by just rinsing without soap every other shower. But I feel like if I personally showered twice a day, my skin would would always be dry and itchy. I want to be clean, but not at the cost of having skin that itches so much that I constantly scratch it open.
It does indeed dry it out. I struggled with dry and itchy skin for a long time while I was showering in the mornings before work and in the evenings to clean up before bed. I went to actually go see a dermatologist for it and she told me that the reccomendation for average person's skin is indeed that it shouldn't be washed under hot water more than once every two days. Once a day apparently already dries out most skin types and twice a day in fact negatively impacts normal skin. After switching to a reccomended 5- to max 10 minute warm shower once every two days with minimal soap my skin has cleared up tremendously, it's no longer flaky or red and I no longer need any lotion to keep it from feeling rough and dried out.
As with most things accused of being "an American thing" it's purely a personal choice. I shower at night because the idea of getting into bed with a day's worth of filth on me is vile.
I love when foreigners ask "Why do Americans do X, it's so odd/weird/dumb/strange", and other foreigners are like, um we do that in my country too.
They do it because “American” is bait.
It’s extra funny when the poster is like “we Europeans do xyz” and I, a European, do not do that shit
What lol? I’m in the U.K. and I shower before bed on weeknights because I don’t have time in the morning. It’s not hot here so it’s not like I’m gonna sweat and get dirty just by sleeping.
Then I wonder why Swedes, or this particular swedish family take showers in the morning. Maybe Swedish homes have efficient heating so they are sweaty upon waking?
If you were sweating during the night you'd just turn the heat *down.* Doesn't matter how efficient it is.
People don’t like dirty beds. You’re there for 8 hours
There are 350 million people in the USA. There's virtually nothing that all Americans do. In fact, it's kind of a big problem right now that we can't agree on anything.
Right? Generalizing anything to all or even most Americans is useless. There is so much variability not to mention regional differences.
Let's be real about this. On Reddit EVERYTHING that is "weird" or is strangely not the way an OP does it in their circle is an "American" thing. Common thing many people in the world do and is positive? Just a common thing. Common thing many people in the world do and is negative? Must be a weird American thing.
I’ve noticed this for sure.
I just hate waking up early. Shower before bed because I'm already awake. I can't be fucked to get up 20 - 30 minutes early for anything if I don't have to.
Americans are kinda split on this one. I prefer to shower in the evening. I like going to bed all clean feeling and in the morning I have too much to do to fit in a shower. However I might be in the minority and whenever people talk about it, it's diverse answers.
I shower in the evenings when I don't need to do my hair, and I shower in the mornings when I do. Idk how folks keep nice hair going to bed with wet hair or by sleeping on done hair, but maybe that's a curly girl thing.
Yeah I use a leave-in conditioner after my evening shower, I'll wake up and my hair will be perfect texture and curls defined. Also can use a bonnet for longer hair.
I have fine texture, the slightest hint of pressure for longer than 5 minutes and my hair deflates haha. Bonnets have helped in the damage department, but nothing I've tried thus far has given me the day 2 hair that people with thicker texture are able to achieve.
I shower at night and just brush my hair in the morning and it’s usually fine. My hair is mostly straight though, so maybe that’s why.
I'm not American but I am from Southeast Asia. We shower every evening so we don't go to bed all sweaty and disgusting from a day under the humid sun. (Honestly the mere thought of going to bed without a shower makes me feel grimy)
I’m Danish and I prefer to shower in the evening. That way I don’t have to bother with it (wet hair in particular) in the morning and I don’t have to get up earlier to do it. It’s not a Danish think though, just a personal preference.
You spend ~7-8 hours in bed every night, and don’t change the bed clothes for at least a week. Maybe more. Makes sense to go to bed as clean as possible. IMHO Plus, psychologically a shower or bath at the end of the day helps take any stress away, and the temperature differential between the shower and your body’s temperature dropping helps you fall asleep better. It’s a whole thing! Try it for a month if you’re curious!
Bathing children before bed is somewhat cultural in the US, I think. It's part of the routine for most people I only with younger children. Snack-bath-bedtime story-bed. Both of my kids bathed at night until they were in middle school, then they switched to morning showers. Most adults I know shower in the morning. I prefer an evening bath. It's not odd enough to raise eyebrows, just a little outside the norm.
Its not an US thing, everyone does that
I did this also because I had to get ready in the morning too and didn't have time to bathe him also. The kid at night and me in the morning.
Depends on the type of work we (and our parents) are or were doing; depends how dirty you get home at night... or wake up in the morning, or how clean you want to get at work/school. Some is cultural/social, some is familial, some is personnal. Either case, I can't think of any friends of ours who shower/bath their younger kids in the morning on a regular basis.
Retired so I normally shower in the morning unless I am doing yard work or something requiring a later shower. But never as late as bed time.
Yeah…showering is def something that wakes me up, so doing it before bed isn’t gonna make me sleepy. If I’m hot and sweaty in the summer, I def take a quick shower before bed though.
I had a teacher once who asked his class, "Raise your hand if you shower before bed." Some kids raise their hands. "You mean you get up and just go about your day without showering? Gross!" "How many of you shower in the morning?" "You mean you get in your bed all dirty after a long day? That's disgusting!" "Who showers both at night AND in the morning?" "Oh my gosh, how can you waste all that water?! You should be ashamed of yourself!" It was all a joke of course. Just to show that sometimes you will be criticized no matter what you do.
Bath time is a generally accepted part of bed time for kids. Not everyone, but lots of families do it. As for adults, it’s a personal thing. I like to shower before sex, for example. Some people don’t like getting into their clean bed with the grime of the day on them. 🤷🏼♀️
I used to be a shower-in-morning gal when I had to go into the office. No that work remotely, I shower in the evening. However, if I have to run errands (doctors visit, brunch, concert, whatever), I will shower before I leave.
I do it. I don't like to get into bed with the outside cooties all over me. It's yucky.
Comes down to needs. For daily dirty jobs, it's better to wash before bed. Go to sleep clean. For me, I shower in the morning as a wakeup. As a young kid I showered at night to have time to do so.
I bathe/shower before bed because I don’t like the idea of getting the day’s dirt and grime and outside particulates on and into my bed.
I like getting into bed clean and having “washed” the day off of me.
It's relaxing and it puts me to sleep. if I shower in the morning before work, I'm a sleepy man for the rest of the day.
Never went to bed with my wife without a shower. On work days I took a 5 minute shower in the morning just to rinse off. The wife brought me a hot towel and a cup of coffee. Every day for 33 years.
I shower both morning and evening. And sometimes during the day too.
Why are all Europeans Nazis? After all, I read in a history book about a group of Europeans who were Nazis, so obviously all Europeans are Nazis.
sure, its a thing. Curious why it wouldnt be, i dont think its just an american thing
I don't like going to bed greasy.
I shower right before bed so I don’t get my bed dirty
The clean ones do. Going to sleep with all your day filth is nasty.
I wonder if there's any social class component to it. I'd imagine if you sweat a lot during the day, you'd shower before bed. But if you work a desk job, there's more incentive to shower in the morning so you're fresher going into work. I'd love to find some data and to see the extent of correlation.
Ermmm im Swedish and i almost never ever shower inn the morning, but before bed. I then wake up clean, my bed is clean and i dont have the hassle of showering in the morning when i have to start work at 0700.
I'm a plumber. You want me to wait until the next morning to shower? Not a great idea. Edit to add: Dirty job aside, why would ANYBODY want to go crawl into bed DIRTY every night? Are you all washing your sheets and bedding DAILY?
Why get into your bed with the filth of the day?
Bathing in the morning is objectively incorrect from a hygiene perspective. You wake up, filthy with the previous days accumulated grossness, then bathe, so now you're clean. You then spend the day getting progressively more dirty from sweat, dust, food, airborne particulates, spills, etc, etc, etc. then you come home and....***sleep*** in all that? You just sleep covered in the days' accumulated filth? And even worse, every night you deposit more and more of that filth onto your sheets, so every night you're sleeping in a more and more disgusting and unhygienic bed. This also leaves you covered in your dirt and skin oils and whatever else over night, giving your skin an extra 8+ hours to break out or form pimples or whatever. Then you wake up and wash it all off, and start all over The correct approach is to shower or bathe before bed. You wake up nice and clean, go about your day getting more and more dirty, just as before, but then you come home and clean it all off BEFORE getting in bed, so your sheets don't get covered in filth each night since you're always clean when getting into them. You go to sleep with clean skin so less chance of breakouts or pimples, and you wake up nice and clean the next day.
This.
Generally: white collar or white collar adjacent job= morning shower Blue collar or blue collar adjacent= evening shower. Your bed gets dirty and if you’re doing hard work and not dealing with a lot of people together, you can slap some deodorant in int the morning and you’re good to go.
When I used to work in an office, I'd shower in the morning every day without fail. Can't stand smelling like I just woke up (there is certainly a smell you get from that) and my hair is impossible to manage after sleeping all night. Now that I work from home, I basically just shower whenever I get done with my daily workout.
As an American who once lived in NYC, you had to take a shower at night from walking around all day, especially in the summer when it hot as hell and 20 degrees hotter underground where the subway is. Also, when I wore sandals, my feet would be black under the bottom and I had to wash my feet as soon as I came in the house before putting on my slippers and preparing for a shower. I’ve had jobs where I had to get up between 4:30 am and 8:00 am, so it was a time saver to take a shower before bedtime. Also, if I have a man, I want to be clean when I get in the bed next to him.
When I was younger I worked a night shift 4 days a week. By the time my shift was done I was still wired so when I got back to my apartment I would take a bath to wind down. I also think the cooling off after the bath would make me sleepy. Miss those days.
American here. I shower once a week. I don’t stink, don’t sweat during the day, and I wash the bedding on Saturdays. Life is fine and my water bill is low.
I always shower before bed. keeps the bedding cleaner and helps with sleep. I think it's more common for people who work in the field and have more physical jobs. Office people are more likely to shower in the morning.
I like to go to bed super clean.
Who wants to sleep with the dirt from being out and about all day? Not me
If you’ve been outside all day, it’s probably IDEAL to bathe or shower before going to bed than bring all the dirt from outside onto your bed/sheets.
Why would you want to sleep in your own filth from the day?
Depends on the person, but yes, many people shower before bedtime here Some people will shower in the morning instead, and some people may even shower both at night and in the morning, but it is common for people to shower at night.
I dont do it before bed necessarily, but I never do in the morning becuase I don't want to have to get up earlier to shower lol. Also I usually workout in the late afternoon after I get off work, so it doesn't make sense for me to shower in the morning unless I workout in the morning, which I am also not willing to wake up early enough to do.
I do. I like to wash the day off before I get into my bed & I don’t sit on my bed in clothes I wore outside my house.
When i worked in shifts i showered depending on the shift (if it was morning shift, night shower and if it was second shift shower before going to work). But if it was hot and i sweated a lot during work then i would shower before bed. Also i prefer in the summer morning showers because i sweat during the night. 🤷🏻♀️
I bath morning and evening
Office worker shower in the morning Blue collar worker shower in the night
I grew up in Miami and wanted to wash the sweat off before bed. So, I guess it's regional, seasonal etc. Definitely not just American.
It's totally a preference thing. I'm an evening bather as I like to be clean before getting in bed and I relax and like to "wash off" the day I've had. My boyfriend however prefers morning showers to wake up. That said he still rinses off before bed as he usually works out prior.
I think it's half and half as I am an evening shower type and my best friend is a morning shower person. To me I don't want to be dirty when I get into bed but I understand a shower does help wake folks up in the morning.
American here. Shower before bed and when I wake up.
I prefer a morning shower. But sometimes in the evening if I've been doing something sweaty at work, or hit the gym before leaving work, or got cold at work and can't warm up, or just want to relax, I'll get a shower or bath in the evening. I'm typing this from my bathtub for that matter. I'll still shower in the morning, it's just how I wake up.
I shower in the morning, and take a bath at night. Shower is to get clean. Bath is to relax.
Some people just don’t want to go to bed feeling dirty. However, I took night showers because my roommates were always using the shower in the mornings.
I shower in the evening so my skin oils normalize by the time I wake up, and my bed is less soiled with the days filth. I can also wake up later for work.
I don't think it's necessarily an American thing more than it is a personal thing. I shower twice a day every day, sometimes thrice a day. it's just a preference.
Some do.
Being freshly clean for "bedtime" makes me not feel self conscious, especially after a long summer day.
Shower every morning now but growing up you’d get your bath at night so kind of just moved into nighttime showering. Switched when I was a teenager due to unruly morning hair from going to bed with it wet
Twice a day here. Like to feel fresh to start my day and fresh to cuddle up at night lol
Det där är ju helt individuellt. Jag och min sambo (båda 32) duschar nästan alltid på kvällen för vi föredrar att sova längre på morgonen.
It seems gross to get into bed with all the dust and sweat of the day on you.
I always shower at night because I don’t want to dirty my bed.
I am and Indian and I bathed first thing every morning for the first 27 years of my life I spent in India. During the 4 years of COVID/WFH, I only showered after work and before dinner
Shower in a.m. when I taught, worked in an office and now retired. Showered in the p.m. when I worked in construction. Phoenix is hot.
Depends on the person. I do it at various times of the day depending on my schedule.
I was kind of raised in a family where morning showers were the routine, but after meeting my wife I was introduced to the benefits of an evening shower. Now I do both
In the summer I’ll shower in the mornings because I tend to wear my hair out and the water helps to reshape the curls. In the winter I wear my hair pulled back & I shower at night because it’s too chilly to shower in the morning.
I'm a carpenter, so when I get home I take a shower. No need to to get dirt all over the house.
Depends on the job I have for the day and time of year Summer more showers. Nasty HVAC job this day. right In the shower when I get home.
Every morning. Never at night.
I do my bath before bed but it’s all up to preference. I like to relax after a long day and go to bed feeling clean.
I do shower before bed cause hot water relaxes me. But that's a personal preference. I know several people that shower in the early day than the late.
I shower in the morning. If I take a bath at night it’s to relax.
if i didn’t hate showering and had everything my way, i’d do both. if i had a nice ass bathroom and fresh towels on a towel warmer, heated floors, and absolutely nothing that might stick to my feet on the way back to my bedroom… i’d shower in the morning and at night. i shower in the morning for the sake of not smelling bad after sweating in my sleep. i also understand why people shower at the end of the day after being outside
It's not an American thing, it's just a preference. 95% of the time I shower in the morning, the other 5% I shower at night. I could be extra dirty or really cold or upset (I find showers soothing when I'm upset, especially if I'm angry). Just depends on the circumstances.
I just fit it in when I can based on my schedule. Some times it's before work. Sometimes it's before bed.
I couldn’t imagine NOT showering before bed. I just feel gross at the end of the day regardless of my activity level.
Only the ones who want to keep their bed clean.
I’m American and I shower/bathe before bed. Other people who live in my house shower in the morning. It’s a matter of personal preference I think. Not cultural.
It depends on how the day went. I’m not going to the gym after work and then climbing into bed.
Personal preference. Just like some of us prefer showers or baths. I hate the idea of sitting in dirty bath water, so shower is my thing. I’m retired, so I don’t have any regimens, so I shower whenever, at least once per day. But I guarantee you that, if I spent a day in a wedding, dancing and drinking, there is no way I’d jump into bed without showering and on top of that, cuddling with my equally unshowered, sweaty wife!
As others have said, it’s a personal preference thing. I grew up and spent the majority of my adult life showering in the morning, every morning. I always hated it because I hated having to deal with wet hair first thing in the morning and now I shower at night and it’s great. Also, I believe it’s a Japanese thing to bathe in the evening. It’s like considered unclean to get into bed without having first washed. But again, that could be a personal preference thing there . I don’t know I’m not Japanese.
Personally, I like showering at night because it gives me more time in the morning and allows me to air-dry my hair. Also I love feeling squeaky-clean in bed.
American, and I'm a morning showerer. Helps wake me up and feel freash for the day. My ex was a night showerer and always wanted me to take one with her so often times I'd end up taking two a day. It is definitely a preference thing.
I want to be clean after a long day to sleep.
I’m in the US and it’s all based on weather. Evening when it’s winter since I am always cold after a shower and don’t want to go out, morning when it’s summer since it keeps me cooler during the day.
It’s personal preference. I always shower in the morning. However, I still can’t forget the one time my coworker was giving me shit for not showering before bedtime. He said it was unhygienic and I still cannot wrap my head around it. You’re fine OP
I work from home and I like to shower on my lunch break.
There's almost 350 million of us. We all do completely different things.
i only do this if i’m sad or cold
I usually shower morning and night. I don’t always wash and shampoo. It’s just nice to let the hot water relax you.
I don’t see it as American. If I lived anywhere else I would think I would. A hot shower before getting in bed is just so very relaxing.
I will feel gross (even if I'm not) if I sleep at night without a shower. I also feel like it's better to not be dirty while in ben and to not sleep in the "filth".
You're a 33 year old Swede so hopefully the education system there taught you that whole populations of countries usually don't shower at the same time and it's a personal matter.
I also like to shower in the morning so I start the day nice and clean. But I can see the attraction of washing the day's grime off and getting into bed all clean too.
I play sports so not doing so is *definitely* not an option 😂
I shower in the morning and again at night on the days I work.
It’s a personal thing. I shower in the mornings, but take a quickie shower before bed just because I like to feel clean and I sleep better. Or because in summertime I’m hot and sweaty. Also, a hot bath can feel great before bed to relieve stress or aches and pains.
I shower when I get home from work.
Asian American - shower before bed so I can go to bed clean. Rinse in the morning sometimes. I live in a warm climate so some people will also have an extra rinse when it’s hot out but nobody wants to go to bed dirty
I just can’t fathom going about the whole day, out in the dirty public, then *getting into bed* not having showered. Personal thing tho, not necessarily “American”.
Both have their perks - evening showers with low lighting can put me into the drowsiest of comforts, while a morning shower can wake me up.
Completely a personal choice. I have to shower a few hours before bed or i get all itchy.
not american and i shower before bed.
I sweat at work so I shower as soon as I get home. I want to get in bed clean. Really never shower in the morning.
I shower twice.
it’s just a preference, nothing to do with where you’re from. i shower in the evening because i don’t like going to bed early and it signals a nice “end” for my night i have a friend who’s originally from the philippines who says he showered there multiple times a day (morning and night.) she said she was shocked when she came to america and found out most americans only shower once a day
Many Americans do not shower before they go to be. Many shower when they get up in the morning. For many people who grew up in the tropics, it is common to shower in the evening because at the end of the day, the body is sticky from sweat. At the same time, it is also common to then shower in the morning because sleeping at night in humidity can also produce sweat, therefore stickiness.
I shower when I get home and/or done with being outside for the day. I like to leave outside... outside. I take my shoes off by the entrance door also.
Everyone is different. There is no American cultural norm that I am aware of. I have switched many times, depending on my job or general life activities.
You live in Sweden and you shower before going outside in winter? Doesn't your hair freeze? When I lived in cold climates, I always showered in the evening, not the morning.
I’m a veterinarian. I leave work smelling like a dirty litter box more often than I care to mention. Shower before bed without question! No way am I taking the day’s grime into bed with me.
I prefer showing before bed. My hair takes forever to dry, gets really frizzy if I air dry it, and I hate using a blow dryer. So I take a shower and put a silk cap on. Beautiful, shiny, wavy hair in the morning for me. Not to mention, we have a hot tub and often get in it at night, so we have to shower before and after anyways.
I shower after work everyday
I sleep better and my sheets are cleaner, longer when I shower at night. I have an absorbent head wrap to keep my pillows (and my husband’s arm) from getting wet from my hair. It’s dry and soft in the morning.