You have to be untidy to be healthy

The title of this BBC article called "Untidy beds may keep us healthy" is music to my ears indeed.

Every morning, however much I am in a hurry, my conscience will stop me from following my urge of not making the bed before going to work. It keeps telling me that leaving the bedding in an unsightly heap is very sloppy.

Now that there is scientific evidence that not making my bed in the morning may actually make me healthy, I may perhaps be more true to my temperament.

According to a UK study, house dust mites, which are believed to cause asthma and other allergies, cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.
Untidy beds may keep us healthy

"We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body," Researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove of Kingston University said. "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."

House dust mites are linked to asthma
Failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy, scientists believe.

Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.

A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.

The average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million house dust mites.

The bugs, which are less than a millimetre long, feed on scales of human skin and produce allergens which are easily inhaled during sleep.

The warm, damp conditions created in an occupied bed are ideal for the creatures, but they are less likely to thrive when moisture is in shorter supply.

Isn't it great news that being untidy does not necessarily mean being unhealthy!