Warm shower washes away cobwebs | Showering Enthusiast

The State:

Ever wonder why, when you skip your morning shower, you can’t seem to get going, can’t shake the sluggishness that stalks you from your sleep?

Ever have a creative thought while the water cascades down your back or, at work, heard a colleague say, “Hey, I had this great idea while in the shower”?

It’s not happenstance that a morning shower energizes you, promotes insightful thinking and makes your skin tingle.

Being in warm water is a very pleasurable experience, and pleasure is mood-elevating,” says Philip Rainer, who works at Karner Psychological Associates in Guilderland, N.Y., and has been a therapist for 23 years — often dealing with matters of mood, pleasure, relaxation and creativity.

There’s a scientific explanation, says Frank Rice, a professor in the Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience at Albany Medical College.

“We recently discovered that the cells of the epidermis, called keratinocytes, contain natural opium-related compounds known as beta-endorphins,” Rice says.

Beta-endorphins cause a pleasurable sensation when released in the brain.