CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Don't make your bed quite yet, because if you do, there could be some gross consequences.
Let's connect the dots.
It's advice you often see in self-help books or those top 10 tips to being more productive: Make your bed as soon as you're out of it.
And a lot of experts agree doing it can lower your stress and set you up with a feeling of accomplishment right when you start your day.
But when it comes to the actual science, making your bed right away could have some really gross consequences.
You might not want to hear it but we share our beds with millions of dust mites.
According to research out of Kingston University London, dust mites thrive in the dark damp spaces in your bed and they're more than just gross they actually can produce an allergen that triggers asthma-like symptoms.
Here's the thing, we sweat when we sleep. If you make your bed right when you wake up, you trap that moisture in the sheets allowing dust mites to thrive.
Researchers found a simple solution.
Leaving the bed unmade allowed the moisture to dry up reducing the dust mites in the bed. If you don't want to spend all day staring at a messy bed cleaning experts recommend waiting at least an hour before you make it.
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