This One Detail In Your Morning Routine Reveals So Much About Your Personality

What’s the very first thing you have to do when you get up in the morning? For some, it’s moseying into the kitchen, all sleepy-eyed and whatnot, to press the “brew” button on their coffee machine. For others, it’s lacing up a pair of running sneakers to hit the pavement before sunrise. And then there are the people who roll out of bed and straight into the shower. What does showering in the morning reveal about your personality, other than the fact that you clearly put personal hygiene above all else, even before your brain has the chance to wake up properly? I know myself, and when I shower typically depends on what time of day I plan to work out — morning, afternoon, or night. But morning people who rise and rinse have a different strategy in their minds, and I'm setting out to discover just what that strategy is.

Personally, I’m still trying to navigate the perfect morning routine for my personality, but if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that my first order of business the second my eyes flutter open after a good night’s sleep is to do something, anything that’ll wake me up. Caffeine and I aren’t exactly friends, and I tend to save any strenuous physical activity for the afternoon, so what’s left? I guess, theoretically, I could use that chunk of time in between cuddling with my cat and making breakfast to shower, but will droplets of water trickling down my body make me feel refreshed first thing in the morning, or will I just be a damp, sleepy Julia, instead of a dry one?

Obviously people who shower in the morning do so for a reason: It could very well be that showering earlier in the day just works out best for some people's schedules, but I’m sure a handful of those who shower in the a.m. recognize, and value, the various benefits of washing up first thing in the morning. For example, according to Robert Glatter, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health, showering in the morning is not only a relaxing activity, it provides that little push you need to feel motivated for the day ahead. The key to reaping these benefits, he says, is to experiment with temperature settings.

“A soothing warm shower, followed by a brief cold shower at the end, can provide the perfect way to start your day,” Glatter tells Elite Daily. “The cooler water at the end helps to stimulate circulation and boost your immunity.” To me, the mere thought of standing under a shower head spouting cool water on my skin when I’m still adjusting to being awake, sounds somewhat miserable. But I guess it wouldn’t be too bad, just as long as your fingers don’t slip and accidentally turn the tap from warm to freezing, right?

Interestingly enough, however, Glatter points out that, as lovely and enjoyable as a warm shower can be first thing in the morning, cold showers boast a ton of health benefits of their own. Splashing cold water on your face at the end of your shower, in particular, lowers your heart rate through cold water immersion; in other words, cold water can calm you down if you have any reservations about the day ahead. But don’t sweat it if you can’t take the heat — err, cold. Your body will still wake up in warm water, too.

So, really, regardless of whether someone prefers warm or cold water, people who shower in the morning probably feel wide awake by the time they dry themselves off, and that's before their lips even touch a drop of caffeine. Impressive, huh?

Still, it’s pretty much up in the air as for whether or not someone who showers in the morning is naturally a morning person. Glatter says this personality trait in particular really depends on other parts of their persona, seeing as how night owls can also rely on morning showers as a means of waking themselves up, too. But, Glatter adds, people who shower in the mornings do tend to be more organized throughout the day because, when you think about it, they’ve technically already started checking things off their to-do list. "A morning shower is often part of a daily morning ritual that organizes you for the day," Glatter tells Elite Daily. "It’s part of a process that gets you going, keeps you organized, and maintains your focus."

So maybe showering is the first thing you do when you wake up, and once you've dried off, that's when you brew your coffee, make the bed, brush your teeth, and have breakfast. Think of it as a domino effect: Once you've showered, you've already accomplished a significant task, setting the scene for the day head. Not a bad way to start the day, huh?