Spicezee Bureau
London: Do not fret over untidy and unmade bed as it may be good for your health. A latest research suggests that failing to make your bed in the morning may actually keep you healthy.
The research, reported by the BBC, suggests that while an unmade bed may look uninviting it is also unappealing to house dust mites, which cause asthma and other allergies. Surprisingly, the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.
It is reported that the average bed in a household could have up to 1.5 million house dust mites.
Researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove of Kingston University said: "We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body.
"Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die."
Interestingly, in the next stage of their research, mite pockets into beds will be put in 36 houses in Britain to test their computer model. The experiment will study as to how people`s routines affect mite populations.
Dr Pretlove further further added, “Our findings could help building designers create healthy homes and healthcare workers point out environments most at risk from mites."
Dr Matt Hallsworth, of the charity Asthma UK, said: `House-dust mite allergen can be an important trigger for many people with asthma, but is notoriously difficult to avoid."
Professor Andrew Wardlaw, of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said: "Mites are very important in asthma and allergy and it would be good if ways were found to modifiy the home so that mite concentrations were reduced.
"It is true that mites need humid conditions to thrive and cannot survive in very dry (desert like) conditions.
"However, most homes in the UK are sufficiently humid for the mites to do well and I find it hard to believe that simply not making your bed would have any impact on the overall humidity."
