Failing to make your bed in the morning may help keep you healthy, scientists believe.
While an unmade bed can make some of us cringe, it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies. A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed. The study revealed that the average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million house dust mites. The bugs, which are less than a millimetre long, feed on scales of human skin and produce allergens which are easily inhaled during sleep.
The warm, damp conditions created in an occupied bed are ideal for the creatures, but they are less likely to thrive when moisture is in shorter supply.
That’s not to say that keeping your bed unmade will eliminate dust mites in your home, as there are likely other places with ideal conditions for the little critters, but it is a nice thought to think that “airing out the bed once in a while” can keep dust mites at bay.
But an unmade bed does not necessarily have to be a messy bed either. For those of us who like the idea of a tidy and inviting bed, try pulling back the comforter, then the blanket, then the sheet, and folding them crisply over the foot of the bed.
