Skip to content

Content starts here

CLOSE ×

Red Membership Card

AARP Membership — $15 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Take a Warm Bath

Time it right and add some relaxing ingredients

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 06, 2023

Updated April 06, 2023

A smiling woman relaxing in a bubble bath

Klaus Tiedge/Getty Images

Quick Win

Soaking in a warm tub may help you fall asleep faster.

Try This Today

Slip into a warm bath about an hour or two before bed.
The optimum temperature for a pre-bed bath is 104 to 108.5 degrees, research shows. If you’re not sure how warm 104 feels, you can test the water with a food or meat thermometer.
Relax to the max: Try some Epsom salts, naturally scented bubble bath or a few drops of a relaxing essential oil, such as lavender.

Why

Soaking in a warm tub one or two hours before bed helped people fall asleep 10 minutes faster, according to a 2019 review of 13 studies in Sleep Medicine Reviews.

You’ve reached content that’s exclusive to AARP members.

To continue, you’ll need to become an AARP member. Join now, and you’ll have access to all the great content and features in Staying Sharp, plus more AARP member benefits.

Already a member? Login

Privacy Policy Terms of Service Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Best Of

Women and Brain Health

Brain Health for Caregivers

Hearing Health Is Part of Brain Health

More From Staying Sharp

Sleeping Pills May Impact Memory Loss

Learn how to sleep better without medication and reduce your risk of memory issues

Offload To-Dos at Bedtime

Defuse concerns that can disturb your slumber

MEMBERS ONLY

Let Go of Worries Before Bed

You can make sleep-disrupting thoughts disappear

MEMBERS ONLY

Most Popular

Benefits Recommended For You

Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

Unused AARP Rewards points expire 12 months after they are earned, in monthly batches on a rolling basis.