making your bed sick

We’ve all been told to make our beds. Our parents insisted upon this being done before we were able to go to school, and if you’re a parent now, you likely do the same thing with your kids.

Making the bed is a very simple task that helps kickstart productivity during the day.

It also gives your bedroom a neater appearance overall, and all of this helps energize you and get you ready to carry out daily tasks and chores.

But not everyone is so interested in doing this routine task. Maybe you’ve had quite a few fights with your children about the fact that they should make the bed.

You’ve probably heard tons of excuses for this. The bed will just get messy again anyway. No one’s ever going to actually see their bed. It takes too long. There isn’t enough time.

Amerisleep

You might be looking for any reason at all to present to your kids so they follow your orders – but, unfortunately, you aren’t going to find any.

Yes, believe it or not, science actually suggests that the act of making one’s bed is completely bad for you in a lot of ways.

It can be detrimental to your health and lead to illness, so it might be time to start tossing those blankets aside and leaving your bed unmade – even if it doesn’t look great.

Here’s why.

Why Making Your Bed Is Bad For You

According to some researchers, when you make your bed, you are fostering a particular environment that allows a lot of dust mites to take up residence and thrive.

But how exactly does that happen? Surely tidying up a space reduces dust mites, right?

Well, a lot of people actually sweat when they’re asleep at night. Sweating on your bed allows for a moist sleeping space that is warm and perfect for dust mites.

Even if you don’t sleep hot, you’re still letting off dead skin cells, as well as oil and dirt from the day, and you’re still creating a warm environment regardless.

This means that every time you wake up, the damp, dark, warm bed has become a great home for wandering mites.

When you make the bed, you cover the mattress up again, which causes the warmth to become trapped on your bed.

As such, the dust mites who have found their way there continue to find the area hospitable.

Guerrillero

People with asthma or allergies have a very severe reaction to dust mites, and even those who don’t have any of these types of conditions may still suffer when bugs take hold of their bed.

You might notice itchiness or irritation on your skin, or you may find yourself coughing and wheezing more.

What Should You Do?

Just stop making the bed. Leave your sheets draped over the side instead of trapping heat in a bed.

The light from the area around your bed coupled with nice, fresh air will prevent dust mites from staying there. Don’t forget to wash sheets regularly, too!