Making Your Bed Could Allow Dust Mites & Other Creepy Crawlies To Thrive Under The Sheets
Now, you have an excuse not to make your bed.
By Celine Low — 14 Dec 2023, 02:52 PM
Not making your bed in the morning may actually keep the bed crawlies away
An unmade bed may look messy but it is apparently unappealing to house dust mites, known culprits of asthma and allergies.
A viral TikTok posted by @sherifelsahly, which has so far amassed over 6.7 million views, shared that the act of making your bed may trap damp air under the covers, providing a breeding ground for dust mites. He goes on to claim that leaving the bed unmade and exposing the sheets to light can help kill these crawlies.
Firstly, let's establish what dust mites actually are
Dust mites are microscopic pests that feed on scales of dead skin and germs, and produce allergens which are easily inhaled during sleep. The average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million house dust mites, according to a BBC article.
They don't bite and are not to be confused with bed bugs, which are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they sleep.
Now, does making your bed cause dust mites to breed?
It could.
A 2005 Kingston University study found that dust mites struggle to survive in the warm, dry environment found in an unmade bed.
When we sleep, we may toss, turn, and sweat, creating the warmth and moisture that these creatures love so much. And so, when we wake up and pull the duvet or blanket over our sheets, all that moisture is cocooned.
Dust mites take in water from the atmosphere using small glands on their bodies, so when moisture is scarce in an unmade, vacated bed, their ability to thrive is inhibited.
However, some health experts remain sceptical, noting that homes are generally humid enough for dust mites to flourish, reported AARP.
So, to make or not to make the bed?
For those of you who like making the bed in the morning, fret not! Your morning routine won't be disrupted, you just need to let your bed "breathe" a little bit before first.
Boots UK, a British health and beauty retailer and pharmacy chain, suggested that making the bed the moment you roll out of it may perpetuate the "warm and damp" environment dust mites love.
It is recommended that opening your window and "airing" your bed for about 30 minutes to an hour may be the best course of action to help prevent these crawlies from thriving during the day. Once the moisture evaporates and your bed cools down, the creatures become dehydrated and die off.
And of course, it is also good to wash your bed sheets as regularly as possible, especially if you're living in a country as humid as Malaysia. Ideally, we should be changing fresh sheets once a week, or every two weeks at the most, BBC reported.
Your sheets can accumulate a lot of stuff you can't see like dead skin cells, sweat, saliva, and more. So, the longer you go without washing your sheets, the more microscopic nasties will build up. That build-up becomes a gold mine for dust mites to feed on, causing skin rashes, stuffy nose, and eczema, reported Healthline.
