Here's why you shouldn't make your bed immediately after waking up
Ask any mental health expert or successful entrepreneur, and they will tell you that making your bed first thing in the morning is the best way to start the day. But is the practice bad for your health?
A simple and productive task like making your bed immediately after waking up could affect your health.
From an early age, we're taught to make our beds first thing in the morning. Robin Sharma's book, 'The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life', highlights how the task can make you feel more productive and help set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
Mental health experts also say it can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and motivate you to tick off the next item on your to-do list.
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However, many people - perhaps due to their busy lifestyles - prefer to make their bed a few hours later or when they return home from work. Some might call them lazy, but if Dr Myro Figura is to be believed, people who leave it for later are pretty smart.
According to the medical school educator, who is based in Los Angeles, you should put off making your bed in the morning for at least an hour.
"Whether you have a partner or not, you are never sleeping alone," he said in a video shared on Instagram.
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Dr Figura says over 10-million dust mites - on an average mattress - are sleeping in the bed with you!
"If you have a two-year-old pillow, 10% of its weight are dust mites and their poop. Dust mites are not just gross, they produce allergens that can trigger asthma and cause you to feel all stuffed up," he said.
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Dr Figura, also an anaesthesiologist, says when we sleep, we sweat, and dust mites love to feed on that moisture.
"So, when you make your bed, you're trapping all of that moisture in and the dust mites, they're having a party, they're procreating and growing."
He recommends leaving your bed unmade for an hour or two, as this "allows for that moisture to dry up and drastically reduces a number of dust mites that can survive in there."
The good doc also encourages people to wash their bed sheets and pillowcases at least every two weeks, preferably every week.
That's it! We're getting a new bed every day for the rest of our lives. But then again, this economy reminds us that we have survived many years rolling in dust mites and their poop.
As you were!
Watch Dr Figura's video below.
Disclaimer: Health-related information provided in this article is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems. It is always advisable to consult with your doctor on any health-related issues.
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Main image credit: iStock/Igor Vershinsky