DO YOU KNOW ???? YOUR BED IS A CULTURE PLATE OF BACTERIA

Yes, you read it right… The place that we choose to collapse into soon after we arrive home after a day filled with busy social schedules is a lawn of microbes. Isn’t that squirmy to know that you rest upon a millions of bacteria everyday!!!!

We make our bed cozy and appealing as we spend a lot of our lifetime in our beds. But do you know actually what is lurking on or under the surface??

Around millions of human cells shed on a daily basis and these dead cells forms the dish for the production and multiplication of these microbes. The most common bacteria that are found on the bedsheets and the pillow cases are the GRAM-NEGATIVE bacteria, then comes the GRAM-POSITIVE bacteria and the Bacilli.

Gram Negative bacteria : They are the harmful bacteria that can cause pneumonia and other harmful infections and can lead to antibiotic resistance. (by CDC)

Bacilli : These are the organisms that are usually involved in the food poisoning.

Gram Positive bacteria : They typically doesn’t cause any harmful effect.

Image 1: types of bacteria you find on bed Percentage of bacterias found on bedsheets and pillow covers

A new study on the microbes on bedsheets and pillow covers by Amerisleep reported that , a 1 week used pillow covers contained about 3 million CFU’s(colony forming units) of bacteria per square inch and the bed sheets of the same contained about 5 million CFU’s per square inch which is really disgusting and it is more disgusting that the count is found more than that of the toilet seat. yack. And imagine it is the place where we relax for after refreshing ourselves by washing our faces or may be after taking bath.

Image 2: bacterial distribution Percentage of bacteria on pillow covers vs bedsheets

Above that the dust mites that are found in the mattress and the pillows are extremely harmful for the human beings. It is said that the mattress that is used for about 7 years contains billions and trillions of dust mites which can cause eye infection and other allergies if left unnoticed.

“The proteins in dust mites feces can cause allergic reactions like watery eyes, a runny nose. And in severe cases, asthama attacks ,”says John Rukel, creator of Pillow of Health.

So guys take it seriously, it is not only us who sleep on the bed. The bed is also shared with us by these microscopic organisms apart from the vampire bugs (chuckles).

STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO CUT BACK THESE

1. Wash your bed sheets and pillow cases once in a week or fortnight. Once in a week is mostly suggested.

2. There are some bacteria that are not removed just by washing the sheets, so for removing them usage of some antimicrobial solutions are suggested.

3. Consider a shower before sleep in order to reduce the swabbing of the bacteria from your body on to the bed.

4. It is recommended to change the mattress once in 7 years at least.

5. Wash your pillows once in every 6 months.