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Anti Allergy Bedding

One of the growing problems of modern-day living is poor sleep. Environmental noise and stress are common causes. The fact that many bedrooms now double as a TV viewing room or office doesn't help either.

But there's another reason why our bed in particular may be keeping us awake instead of surrounding us with sleep, apart from it being old and lumpy. It's because many beds are home (or, to be more precise, toilet) to the house dust mite. And if you are allergic to its droppings, as many people are, the refreshing sleep you crave may not come your way. So you need to reduce your exposure to it.

The house dust mite lives in everyone's home. It likes to feed off the dead skin cells that we humans shed continually. 'Mmmmm', it says as it gobbles them up. 'Ah, that's better', it sighs as it evacuates what's not wanted. Its dung is a major source of allergic reactions, and the place where it lies in wait for you is your bedroom. House dust mites and their excreta are present elsewhere around the house too, but the major exposure zone is your bed.

Remember those black and white comedy movies where the characters would walk into a dusty old house and the moment they sat down dust would erupt from the furniture and cover them? Well that's what happens when you fluff up cushions, your head hits the pillow or you bounce around on the mattress. Look at sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Nice, isn't it? But look at all the particles in the air when you thump the pillow. That's millions of dung particles, and if they can get into the air, then they can get into you too. Think about how many times you move in your bed - when you're asleep as well as at other, more energetic, times. Each time you'll be giving yourself a dose of allergen.

It's impossible to keep your bedroom totally clear of house dust mites; they're a fact of life. But one way you can reduce the problems they cause is by using mite-proof allergy reducing covers for mattresses, duvets and pillows. In an ideal world, it's best to put the covers on a brand new mattress, duvet and pillows, which should be mite-free, so that the mites are prevented from getting inside. If this isn't possible, then putting covers on old mattresses and bedding will at least keep the mites inside and stop them getting out and making a nuisance of themselves.

The other guilty party that introduces allergens into the bedroom are pets that spend any time there. Cats are the most common culprits, but dogs, too, can leave their allergen-coated hairs everywhere. Now although the obvious solution would be to lose the pet, this isn't always easy to do. Having your kids wailing through the night as they miss little Tiddles is not going to cure your sleeplessness. So, as an alternative, begin by keeping the pets out of the bedroom at all times. This is necessary as the allergen from pets can remain airborne for hours. It then settles onto soft furnishings, floors and carpets. If you are sensitive to your pet and don't want to break up a happy home, then it makes sense to only allow your pet into those areas of your home where the flooring can be easily cleaned.

Even Teddy may be responsible, or whatever your favoured cuddly toy is, since house dust mites live in these too. But, like pets, this doesn't mean he has to be kicked out - just don't let him have the run of the whole house.

So now you know why, just a few moments after your head hits the pillow, your nose may start feeling stuffy.


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