Untidy beds may keep us healthy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4181629.stm

by Dysiode • 16 years ago

43 24 16 years ago

news.bbc.co.uk

dkasper• 16 years ago

As someone with dust mite allergies this is what I'm going to start doing: 1. Leave blanket rolled up at end of bed 2. Turn fan on to blow over the bed, drying it out

Much cheaper than buying those fairly pricey dust mite cases that seem to have dubious effectiveness.

pwhelan• 16 years ago

Agreed. I am wondering if sleeping at a higher temperature would help, so that there could be less heat released through skin.

thribbler• 16 years ago

Or you could invest in an electric blanket.

As a bonus you will get more sleep in winter (because it takes time for your body to warm the bed otherwise).

wallflower• 16 years ago

Electric blankets are also a classic money-saving measure if you're trying to save on heating bills.

Tichy3• 16 years ago

The only thing I know about electric blankets is that elderly people seem to burn to death from them or get severe burns on their body from them on a regular basis. It happened to my granny, too (just the burns, thankfully).

Overall, they just seem like a silly idea to me. Or maybe it is just an idea from another era, when people thought that electricity would solve every problem and being exposed to x-rays could make you mutate into superman.

ahoyhere• 16 years ago

Be aware that if you are doing this because you are (putatively) allergic to dust mites, which is triggering breathing issues:

Breathing cold air, especially through the mouth, can exaggerate breathing problems.

Splines• 16 years ago

> In the next stage of their research, the scientists are putting mite pockets into beds in 36 houses around the United Kingdom to test their computer model and will investigate how people's daily routines affect mite populations.

I realize I already have dust mites in my bed, but I would still have a hard time volunteering for this. Ignorance is bliss.

jrockway3• 16 years ago

If you're not allergic, you're not allergic. Then they're just there, eating your dead skin cells. You shouldn't worry too much about microorganisms unless they cause you problems -- they are everywhere, and you can't get rid of them.

philwelch• 16 years ago

In fact, each and every one of us has billions of microorganisms hanging out on our skin and inside our bodies. Many of them are our friends, helping us digest things we can't otherwise digest and warding off infections.

machrider• 16 years ago

Unfortunately, you might be less happy as a result: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/08/m...

Tichy3• 16 years ago

She also mentions that not making your bed could make you feel more happy, because it is resistance against your parents rules.

alexyim• 16 years ago

Interesting idea. But it seems trivial compared with laundering your sheets in hot water regularly

pmccool• 16 years ago

It seems that the two approaches would work well together.

secretasiandan• 16 years ago

They don't just live in your sheets, they live in the mattress too. You can launder your sheets all day and they can still come out of your mattress onto your clean sheets.

jrockway3• 16 years ago

Dust mites are a bitch.

Although I was pretty skeptical, I noticed a marked difference after I encased my bedding (mattress, pillows, comforter) in special dust-mite proof sheets. Dust mites can't get in (or out, if they're in there), and the proteins that actually cause the allergic reaction also can't get out. So you have less bugs producing allergens, and the allergens don't get into your lungs. I hardly ever wake up coughing uncontrollably anymore. (Air filters and powerful allergy/asthma drugs were pretty effective, too, but the combination is best.)

Anyway, I had no idea I was allergic to dust mites, even though I often woke up in the middle of the night coughing uncontrollably and woke up in the morning almost drowning in my own phlegm. I thought it was post-nasal drip or bad sleeping posture or something. A 15-minute skin test later, and now I know for sure what I am allergic to, and can be on the right drugs (and immunotherapy). So if you have similar symptoms, get tested, and get your body fixed. Dust mite allergy can be cured, and there are nonsedating side-effect free drugs that can help you while your body is being fixed. (Singulair.)

I hate to make preachy public service announcements, but a lot of people are probably unnecessarily tired today simply because they spent most of the night not being able to breathe and didn't even realize it. And if you don't sleep, you can't hack!

crazydiamond• 16 years ago

I haven't made my bed in a week. Now i am feeling +much+ better. :)

maigret• 16 years ago

On a side note: Am I the only one who struggles reading these articles made of one-sentence-paragraphs? I completely lose the flow and the structure of the argumentation (Is there any?).

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

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