Not surprisingly there has been a lot of work done in recent years on how having a bath or a shower affects the brain.
It has been recognised for some time that as well as helping to get you clean and smell nice the actual act of having a bath or shower can change the way that you think. Of course, the act of washing in itself should make you feel better.
Bath or shower?
You will know yourself that after a shower you feel differently than you do than after a good soak in the bath.
Psychological studies have found that people feel more active after showers. Tiredness disappears and people say that they feel fitter and fresher after the invigorating affects of a shower.
People tend to take baths so that they can relax. It is common for a person to find time not just to take a bath but to prepare themselves for it. They do this so that they can enjoy their time as they wallow and relax in the bath.
After a bath, studies show that the bather feels a greater sense of ease and tranquility than they did before they got in the tub.
Research conducted at Yale University recently demonstrated that baths make people feel less lonely. A hot bath makes up for social isolation and fends off feelings of loneliness.
The advocates of a cold shower talk about the invigorating effect it has on the body and the stimulation it gives helps them to cope better with the stresses and strains of everyday life.
They say that through taking regular cold showers the body learns to adapt to surges of adrenaline and this helps the mind cope with moments of shock and surprise.
Athletes take ice baths and showers for partly psychological reasons as it demonstrates that they are willing to put themselves through a difficult experience. By employing such mind over matter tactics they can then push their bodies to the limit when it matters.
They can also help reduce blood pressure and reduces any toxins you may have helping both body and mind.
Whether we like our baths hot or our showers cold they help us get through each day.