For me, the debate over morning showers vs evening showers has one clear winner. Evening showers help me unwind and wash away the sleep-disrupting allergens collected during the day. Morning showers just add another step to my pre-work routine. However, there is one drawback to an evening shower: harsh bathroom lighting.
Exposure to bright bathroom light bulbs in the evening has been found to shift circadian rhythms about two hours later per day, making it harder to fall asleep. In other words, your sleep-wake cycle thinks it's still daytime, so you can't drop off.
And that's where the Auria Glow Lamp, now $49.99 at Amazon, comes in. This dark showering device swaps overstimulating LED bulbs for a soothing amber glow. It's gone viral but does it work? I tested it out to see if the Auria Glow lamp (and dark showering) can help me sleep.
Key takeaways
- Exposure to harsh bathroom lighting before bed has been shown to suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that signals it's time to sleep.
- The dark showering trend, however, is said to support melatonin production by replicating the natural conditions at the end of the day.
- The Auria Lamp is designed to be used while showering, switching your overhead light for a warm amber glow that mimics a sunset.
- However, while the Auria Glow Lamp is more relaxing than bright LED bulbs, further research is needed on its effectiveness.
What is the dark showering trend and how does it improve sleep?
Dark showering is pretty self-explanatory; it's when you take shower in the dark.
While the dark showering trend originated on (where else?) TikToK late last year, it mirrors time-honored bathing customs from Japan, India, and ancient Rome. And there's a good reason why dark showering traditions have stood the test of time: they really can help you sleep.
"The 'dark showering' trend can improve sleep for a couple of reasons," explains Sam Sadighi, a certified sleep practitioner at Get Laid Beds. "Bathroom lighting is renowned for being bright, which isn't going to help our melatonin production."
Melatonin is a hormone that makes us feel tired and its production heavily relies on light (or lack thereof).
"Showering in dim lighting helps, as our brain expects our surroundings to be dark approaching bedtime and will help our melatonin production," she explains.
A 2023 study found that reducing blue light exposure shortened sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) and helped prevent melatonin suppression.
Another argument in favor of dark showering is that a warm shower (counterintuitively) drops our body temperature before bed, echoing how our core body temperature naturally drops before sleep.
"That's one of the reasons why it's harder to sleep when the ambient temperature is hot," explains Sadighi. "Having a very warm shower before bed will help to lower your core body temperature, which will help sleep by drawing heat from your core."
What is the Auria Glow Lamp?
Sadighi points out there is one major flaw with showering in the dark. You can't see.
"The main issue with showering in low light is ensuring that while the lighting is dim, it isn't so dim that you can't see what you're doing," says the sleep consultant.
To counteract this, the waterproof Auria Glow Lamp aims to light up your bathroom. But instead of a harsh blue light, it emits a warm amber glow.
Amber lighting, the color of a toasty fireplace, has been shown to help people fall asleep faster and experience fewer awakenings — making it the perfect alternative to showering in darkness.
The lamp comes in two different projection styles, depending on whether you want to keep the dome on or take the dome off. Below is dome-on mode, which gives you a diffused candlelight-mimicking glow.
If you decide to take the dome cover off, you'll get a more ethereal, wave-like projection, with wisps of light cascading along your walls (sounds dramatic, but it's true).
Auria says the Glow Lamp "lowers cortisol, supports melatonin, mimics sunset light and calms nervous system".
"You already know the power of a dark shower," claims Auria's website. "Now add the warm, amber glow that helps your nervous system finally exhale."
While the science behind the dark showering and warm lighting checks out, will the Auria Glow Lamp really work miracles on my sleep?
Putting the Auria Glow Lamp to the test — see the results over 3 nights
Night 1
The first night, I decided to try the Glow Lamp without the dome, as this was the projection style that seemed the most exciting to me. This projection style creates an underwater feel, with the lamp spilling golden waves over the wall. Here's what it looks like in action:
The Auria Lamp made me feel as if I were showering in an enchanted lagoon — one with passionfruit-scented shower gel and volumizing shampoo.
It certainly created a relaxing mood before bed, but was it enough to boost my sleep score from the previous night?
According to my Oura Ring 5, it was. I scored an 82/100, 5 points more than the previous night. "Your Sleep Score was above your typical range last night. Hopefully you feel in your energy levels!" the smart ring told me.
Night 2
On the second night, I tried the lamp with the dome on, which created a soft, muted glow. This projection style is more luxury spa than mermaid cove, and I can see why some users prefer this lightning mode when conducting their nightly ablutions. Here's what the Auria Lamp looks like avec dome:
Again, the lamp delivered a tranquil shower setting, and I definitely felt ready for bed afterwards. However, I didn't get the perfect sleep. But it had nothing to do with the Auria Glow...
At 3 a.m., I woke up with menstrual pain, which kept me awake until 4 a.m. This significantly impacted my sleep score (a "fair" 68) but it can't be blamed on the Auria. So instead, I'm focusing on my sleep before my 3 a.m. rude awakening.
My sleep latency was shorter than the previous night, meaning I fell asleep two minutes quicker. Meanwhile, all the deep sleep I experienced happened before 3 a.m, racking up to 1 hour and 24 minutes. Not bad considering that, according to the Oura App, the optimal amount of deep sleep is between 1 hour and 1.5 hours.
Night 3
On the third night, I still had pretty bad cramps, meaning I showered and went to bed later. I decided to bring the lamp closer to the shower, to change the lighting effect. (It's completely showerproof so you can actually bring it in beneath the stream if you want.)
I used dome-off (mermaid) mode this time around and found that the warm relaxing shower did relive stress. I felt my muscles relaxing, which also provided some pain relief.
So, the good news is that my sleep score crept up into "good territory" again (73/10) and my sleep latency was shortened by another 2 minutes. My REM sleep could have been longer, but my deep sleep was still in the optimal range at 1 hour and 19 minutes.
Does the Auria Glow Lamp actually work?
Considering that cramps ravaged my sleep on nights 2 and 3, I still managed to fall asleep fast and get plenty of deep sleep after using the Auria lamp.
It definitely helped me unwind before bed and created a relaxing, sleep-inducing atmosphere. It was nice to take a break from the harsh LED lightning in my bathroom, and I will definitely keep showering in the glimmer of the Auria Glow.
Overall, I think sleep expert Sadighi summed up the lamp: "The Auria Glow Lamp does look good. However, honestly? I'm not sure it would be a magic elixir to help sleep, but it's absolutely not the worst sleep aid on the market"
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