Study: Unmade Beds Keep Away Dust Mites

London, United Kingdom (AHN) – Researchers from London’s Kingston University say that an untidy bed is healthy because house dust mites don’t thrive on it, thereby deterring allergens that trigger asthma and allergies.

The researchers found that dust mites cannot live in a dry bed. The study shows an unmade bed during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die, according to researcher Dr. Stephen Pretlove, according to BBC.

Pretlove said the goal of their research is to come up with healthy building and home designs that deter dust mites, which induce illnesses costing £700 million to treat each year.

In contrast, the warmth and dampness of an occupied bed enable the less than a millimeter long bugs to survive. A bed can harbor some 1.5 million house dust mites feeding on scales of human skin. The bugs produce allergens inhaled during sleep.

The researchers used a computer model to determine the number of dust mites in beds. The bugs’ population apparently lessens depending on changes in the home.

Further research will be conducted in U.K. homes to determine how household routines and building features affect dust mite population.

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