NatNews

For a variety of reasons, people have different habits and routines, including when they prefer to or are able to shower during the day.  

According to a recent initiative conducted by NatNews, of those dear readers who participated in the online study, 29 percent typically shower in the morning, 34 percent opt for evening showers, 4 percent shower in the middle of the day, and 33 percent said their shower times are not always consistent and/or are contingent upon various factors. A beloved European dear reader said he prefers an early shower so that he can start his day with a fresh feeling.

“I usually shower in the morning after the gym or just to feel clean in the morning if I haven’t worked out,” U.K. resident Craig Stewart (a.k.a. British Craig) said.

Many individuals, however, including Dallas resident Keith Jensen, prefer to shower at night so that they feel clean before hopping into their sheets.

“I shower for all different reasons, but I always shower before I get in bed,” he said. “Being outside all day or around people is 100 percent going to get germs of some sort on you. Just like we think it’s gross to eat without washing our hands, I think it’s gross to take those germs into bed and lie in them all night and let them collect until you wash your sheets.”

Like Jensen, Dallas resident Lyndsey Kohn prefers to shower in the evenings as a form of not only getting clean but also finding a calming source to help prepare her for a night’s rest.

“It’s the first step in my wind-down routine and washes off the day, so to speak,” she said. “I feel like I’ve trained my brain to start relaxing once my shower head goes off.”

However, Kohn said she also enjoys midday showers and takes them often, especially if she simply needs some sort of pick-me-up activity to help her through the rest of the day.

“Lunch showers are so elite,” she said. “I usually take them to give my brain a break and think about ideas or projects I am working on. I think there is something therapeutic about taking a self-care break with no screens and to just sit with yourself for a bit. It breaks up the day, and I guarantee you will probably feel immensely better after a shower.”

As Kohn indicated, even those who have somewhat standard showering routines change things up every once in a while. While Jensen said night showering is a ritual because of the germ factors he mentioned, he will throw in the occasional off-schedule shower when needed.

“I will sometimes shower if I don’t feel good or am stuffed up, as warm water eases my muscles, and the steam seems to break up the mucus,” he said.

Just as individuals have different preferences regarding when they prefer to shower, they also have varying viewpoints on whether or not showering is essential on a daily basis. Research indicates that approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily, while more than 80 percent of Australians do so. In China, however, roughly 50 percent of individuals shower only twice per week.

According to Harvard Medical School, showering every day can actually be detrimental to one’s health, causing dry or irritated skin, upsetting the balance of microorganisms, and reducing the ability of the immune system to do its job. Health experts suggest that if you need to shower every day because you are grimy or sweaty or have other reasons to do so, it’s best to take short showers (three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin.

Stewart said going one day without showering is fine, especially if the individual is working from home, but he would make sure to shower first thing the next morning—and certainly before encountering anyone—if he skipped a day.

“I would never go out and meet friends if I hadn’t showered,” he said. “I think it’s poor hygiene and a bit lazy not to shower.”

Jensen said he knows the daily shower discussion is a personal topic on which people will have different views, so it’s best to go with what makes you feel most comfortable.

“But I wouldn’t go a day without showering,” he said. “Again, it just feels fresher in bed when everything, including yourself, is clean.”

A different topic for a different day is how often washing one’s hair is necessary. For many individuals, Harvard’s suggested three- or four-minute shower will obviously not be possible on hair-washing day. Kohn understands such a distinction all too well.

“To clarify, there is a big difference between not washing your hair and not showering every day,” she said. “Personally, I can’t stand not washing my body daily. I would feel like I needed to wash my sheets afterward if I went to bed dirty. That said, especially with having longer hair, I try to wash my hair only a few times a week to keep it healthier.”

Horses have historically been a significant part of Mongolian culture, and in the modern day, some individuals even attend raves while on horseback.

While professional hockey players strive to one day hoist the sought-after Stanley Cup, other individuals carry around a different Stanley cup—and often with just as much pride as an NHL champion.

In 2019, a company that wasn’t racking up a significant amount of sales suddenly went viral with the help of social media and various influencers who assured their followers that the Stanley Quencher is the greatest beverage container to exist, noting its extreme durability and ability to keep drinks cold and hot.

Dallas-area resident Libby Shewski, who stays hip and updated on current trends as a club volleyball coach of 12-year-olds, joked that she originally purchased a Stanley cup because it was the cool thing to do, and she wanted to fit in. However, she also appreciates the convenience it provides.

“Seriously, though, I like how it keeps your water cold and fits in a cup holder,” she said. “I was using a Yeti cup with a straw before the Stanley, which didn’t fit in my cup holder, and that was a struggle.”

For Shewski, the cup-holder factor has been the most significant benefit of having a Stanley Quencher, though she will admit that the cup does have at least one drawback.

“I know that more cups have created their own 40-ounce water bottles that also fit in a cup holder, but I’m committed to the Stanley right now because it was expensive, and I don’t want to have a ton of cups,” she said. “I don’t like that it spills, though. I bring it to practice, and a kid always manages to hit a ball and knock it over, which is unfortunate.”

Shewski certainly isn’t the only person committed to using her Stanley cup over other options—the company brought in more than $750 million in revenue in 2023. Not everyone supports the craze, though.

“I do not understand what the hoopla is around those dang cups,” Dallas-area resident Rachel Balthrop Mendoza said. “There are other brands (save for the OG ones from like 40+ years ago) that do just as well, if not better, at insulating as those.”

From a practical standpoint, spending the money on a Stanley cup simply wouldn’t make much sense for Balthrop Mendoza, who suggested that she might be somewhat of a Goldilocks when it comes to the temperature of her beverages.

“I’m weird about not necessarily needing things to stay cold, unless it’s really hot outside,” she said. “When I want to keep my coffee hot, I use insulated cups that have been gifted to me or that I’ve bought because I like the design. Even then, though, I don’t want the cup to keep my coffee so hot that I can’t drink it.”

Earlier this month, 2.6 million Stanley Switchback and Trigger Action stainless steel travel mugs were recalled for having faulty lids that pose burn hazards. Additionally, some school districts and universities have banned the cups for various reasons, including safety and health concerns, frequent spill occurrences, too many resulting bathroom breaks, and incidences of bullying.

Regardless of any bans and imperfections, the cup still has plenty of devoted customers. Shewski acknowledged that social media has helped make Stanley so popular. The brand originally targeted older men when William Stanley invented the steel vacuum-sealed bottle in 1913 after graduating from Yale University. The target demographic has since shifted, now primarily focusing on millennial and Gen Z women.

“At first, it was the cup-holder thing, then it came out in pretty colors, then it was so hard to find that more people wanted it,” Shewski said. “I know people who have lots of Stanleys in different colors because they collect them.”

Collecting Stanley cups is not that uncommon—one woman even has 37 of them. While Balthrop Mendoza will not be one of those collectors, she does acknowledge that the brand has used effective marketing strategies to continue to grow. 

“At some point a few years ago, they were able to put some kitschy design or color or whatever the ‘in’ fad was at the time on the cups and capitalize on it,” she said. “And I’m sure they did since those things sell for almost $50 a pop or more. All I know is that I have about 15 insulated cups in my cabinet, and not one of them has Stanley written on it.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Lily Hays wishes you the merriest Christmas and hopes that you love her festive accessory 

Monday, December 23: Festivus
Tuesday, December 24: Make & Take — Reindeer & Wreath Cookies for the Holidays at Central Market
Wednesday, December 25: Mavs vs. Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center
Thursday, December 26: Peter Pan at Music Hall at Fair Park (runs December 25–January 5)
Friday, December 27: Stars vs. Wild at the American Airlines Center; Dave Matthews Tribute — The Grux at Sundown at Granada
Saturday, December 28: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the American Airlines Center (also a 7:30 p.m. show); Taylor Swift Tribute — Lover at Legacy Hall
Sunday, December 29: Adoptable Puppy Yoga at Satya Yoga