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London (pte011/18.01.2005/10:30) - Not making your bed each morning could actually keep you healthy, research suggests. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, scientists have found that an unmade bed is unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies. The study, carried out by London's Kingston University http://www.kingston.ac.uk , found that the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.
It is thought the average bed could accommodate up to 1.5 million dust mites, which feed on scales of human skin and produce allergens, which are easily inhaled during sleep. An occupied bed's warm damp conditions are ideal for the mites, which are less than a millimetre long, but the creatures are less likely to thrive when moisture is in short supply.
The research involved using a computer model to track how changes in the home can reduce numbers of dust mites in bed. "We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body," said Stephen Pretlove, one of the researchers. "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."
The scientists' next step will be to put mite pockets into beds in 36 houses around the United Kingdom to test their computer model. They will also investigate how people's daily routines affect mite populations. Building features such as heating, ventilation and insulation will also be altered to monitor how the mites cope. According to Pretlove, the research could potentially reduce the 700 million pounds (997.8 million euros) spent treating mite-induce illnesses each year in the UK. "Our findings could help building designers create healthy homes and healthcare workers point out environments most at risk," said Pretlove.
According to Andrew Wardlaw of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, house-dust mite allergen can be an important trigger for many people with asthma. "Mites are very important in asthma and allergy and it would be good if ways were found to modify the home so that mite concentrations were reduced," he said. "It is true that mites need humid conditions to thrive and cannot survive in very dry 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," he concluded.
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