If you make your bed right when you wake up, you trap that moisture in the sheets allowing dust mites to thrive. Researchers found a simple solution. Leaving the bed unmade allowed the moisture to dry up reducing the dust mites in the bed.
This is so your skin absorbs them as opposed to your bedding. The CEO of Mattress Online (opens in new tab), Steve Adams agrees that it's 'not a good idea to make your bed straight away when you wake up, as this traps the dust mites and bacteria which are naturally left behind after sleeping.
Allow your bed to air out before making it for at least an hour. Wash your sheets and other bedding at least every two weeks, once a week is best. Wash all sheets, blankets, and pillowcases in hot water, at least 130 F.
According to the experts And So To Bed, making your bed every morning could actually hinder your sleep as the duvet traps all the moisture. Instead, the experts recommend pulling back your bed linen to properly air out your mattress and give it a chance to breathe – especially during the warm summer months.
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another," he said. "By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
Making your bed
It may improve your sleep quality. A poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who make their bed in the morning are 19 percent more likely to have a good night's sleep, every night. Making your bed each morning could make you more productive.
If you have to leave for work, instead of making your bed right away, go through your morning routine, and make your bed right before you leave the house. Making your bed as the last part of your routine can give you at least an hour of airing out time. That's better than nothing.
When you try to turn in early before a big day, you can end up doing more harm than good because your body is not ready to fall asleep. As a result, you lay in bed for a long time — awake. This sets you up for two major sleep problems: sleep anxiety and problematic sleep conditioning.
Writer on the science of productivity Charles Duhigg explains in his book, The Power of Habit: "Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.
How Often You Should Wash Your Sheets (And How to Get Them Really Clean) Experts recommend washing or changing sheets once a week.
One of the brain's functions is to regulate our body clock also known as the Circadian Rhythm and this includes our sleep. Fresh air therefore is an important step in helping us to maintain our body's rhythms such as waking and sleeping.
The point of airing it out is to let the material breathe and allow the air to circulate freely, which will help eliminate any bacteria or odors that may have accumulated within the mattress.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
One study compared people who slept in an east-west direction versus north-south direction. After a period of three months, those who slept in the north-south orientation had lower blood pressure, better sleep quality, and longer sleep overall.
We realize most adults don't stand or jump on their mattress but often their kids do and nearly everyone sits in bed or sits on the edge of their bed. This will force the layers into the springs and will damage the mattress and shorten its life.
Making the bed is about setting an intention to do the little things that bring about an orderly, thoughtful, responsible, balanced, or successful life. In addition to providing a quick sense of daily accomplishment, some people find making the bed calming as well.
Bed-makers were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs and almost 20 percent more likely to prioritize responsibilities over their desires and to be more productive in their free time. Even more importantly, people who make the bed get more sleep (over 2.5 hours more per week, on average).
The report, which was recently highlighted on the TODAY show, found that people who make their beds tend to be adventurous, confident, sociable and high-maintenance. Meanwhile, people who don't make their beds tend to be shy, moody, curious and sarcastic.
“There is no such thing as a “fixed or ideal time” to go to bed which will suit all individuals. It is generally advisable to fall asleep between 10 pm to midnight as for most people this is when the circadian rhythm is at a point that favours falling asleep.”
Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight.
According to The Sleep Foundation, it's been proven to be one of the ways our body restores energy. It does this by restoring two particular chemicals in our bodies while we sleep: glycogen and adenosine. Glycogen helps store energy in the brain, and these decrease while we are awake. They are restored while we sleep.
Your bed is too comfy
This extra cosy feeling can be caused by melatonin, the sleep hormone, which is still being pumped around your body when you've just woken up.
0-2 years old: should go to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. 3-5 years old: should go to sleep between 7:00 and 8:00 pm. 6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm.