The millions of mites and germs on your bed could be making you ill.
Countries around the world are closing borders and putting citizens under lockdown in a bid to contain the new coronavirus outbreak. People are more than ever wary about their health, about the dangers of smoking and socialising in big groups.
But could the lockdown at home be messing with your immune system?
We hate to break it to you but you bed sheets are filthy. No matter how clean you are, your bed is the perfect playground for all kinds of germs.
Not to gross you out, but human naturally produce almost 100 litres of sweat in bed every year. The moisture coupled with a bit of humidity is the perfect setting for a fungal party to take place. Most homes, especially in Europe are well insulated and well heated. In a very short period starting at 1 sleep only, your sheets get covered with dead skin cells, oils, saliva and sweat. This can make for a dust mite paradise.
Dust mites and their faeces cause most people allergies, even people who do not usually suffer from allegorise. They even worsen your asthma, eczema and hay fever.
Philip Tierno, a microbiologist and pathologist at the New York University School of Medicine, shared with Tech Insider how we have “spores of fungi, bacteria, animal dander, pollen, soil, lint, finishing agents of whatever the sheets are made from, colouring material, all sorts of excrements from the body including sweat, sputum, vaginal, and anal excretions, urine milieu, skin cells,”
Now that we are all spending almost all day at home and more time in bed we must be even more cautious with the hygiene of our bedroom. This is especially important now that we are safeguarding from a respiratory disease.
Here are our simple tips to maintain a healthy immune system starting from your bed:
- Make sure every single item on your bed is made of chemical free, natural material. Man-made fabric like polyester, microfibre and most bamboo bedding are going to trap in the heat and repel moisture from your body. You need your sheets to be either linen or cotton and your duvet and pillows to be filled with down or feather.
- Let your room air out, at least for an hour every morning. This will allow the humidity in your room to decrease.
- Wash your sheets at least once a week. Twice a week if you eat in bed or invite pets to your slumber party. If you have a cold or flu then you need to crank up the washing regime and change the bedding more frequently to protect your partner.
- Add baking soda and lemon juice to your detergent and into the wash cycle for that extra white, extra crips feel.
- Vacuum your room and mattress.
If you’re feeling lazy about changing your bedsheets often, you might want to think again. Also your skin is the largest organ, and you need to be aware of what we are putting onto it as well as what effects these man made fibres have on your body when you sleep and breathe into them.
