Making your bed may be a quintessential part of your morning routine, but sleep experts from Zoma Sleep advise people not to make their bed in the morning to help eliminate the millions of dust mites festering under the covers.
What are dust mites?
Miniscule creatures about a quarter of a millimeter long, dust mites thrive in warm, humid hotspots like bed sheets. The moisture and heat allow millions of these tiny insects to live within your bedding. Dust mites feast on dead skin cells which fall from our bodies.
DON’T make your bed and enjoy some health benefits
A perfectly made bed is a hotspot for dust mites, serving as an ideal, warm space for these insects to survive and thrive. The experts at Zoma Sleep recommend leaving your bed unmade in the morning to help eliminate some of the dust mites found within your sheets. Making your bed in the morning allows them to survive and reproduce, multiplying and growing, which in turn may trigger asthma, eczema, or possible allergies similar to hay fever. Symptoms may include nasal congestion, skin rashes, sneezing, and watery eyes.
Simply leaving your bed sheets unmade for 30 minutes or one hour can starve dust mites, removing many of them from your bedding. This period will allow moisture and sweat obtained overnight to be released from your bed. The lack of moisture and vulnerability to the air means this quick and easy task will make your bedroom a healthier environment.
Change your bed sheets every week to reduce dust mites
While not making your bed is a quick and easy hack to eliminate dust mites, there are a few other measures you can take to keep your bed as dust-mite-free as possible. Maintaining a fresh, well-ventilated bedroom leaves less space for dust mites to live and reproduce. Experts recommend washing your bed sheets once every week to help combat this issue. By washing your sheets or changing your bedding, you remove the buildup of moisture from used sheets, killing the dust mites that are festering in your bedding’s warm spots.
Vacuuming your mattress, chairs, and all other upholstery, as well as maintaining a well-ventilated bedroom, will also kill dust mites and make your home less hospitable to them. You can also invest in wool bedding to reduce moisture for a more peaceful sleep free from dust mites.
Unfortunately, completely eliminating all dust mites is impossible, but by following these simple steps, you will create a healthier, cleaner bedroom to enjoy a better night’s sleep.
