- Manish Bandi
- Global News Beat – BBC
Some may think that this topic should not be discussed publicly, but it is a topic that affects us all, and the question is how often should bed sheets be changed and washed?
An opinion poll showed people disagreed on one answer, and a new survey of 2,250 adults in the UK found another split.
About half of the single men said they did not wash their bedding for up to four months at a time, while 12 percent admitted that they did it when they remembered, which could be longer.
“It’s a really bad idea,” Lindsey Browning, a psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert, told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.
Unmarried women change bed covers most often, 62 percent clean their bed every two weeks, and husbands claim to clean their bed every three weeks, according to data from a bedding company.
picture released, Getty Images
Imagine waking up happy like this woman in the picture
Why should change covers bedding?
Very briefly and categorically, Browning says we should change our bedding, once a week, or at most every two weeks.
Hygiene is a big factor, she says, and one of the reasons for that is sweat. If you’ve ever tried to sleep during a heat wave, you’ll know how hard it can be.
“Sweat penetrates the sheets, which not only makes them smell unpleasant, but they become completely clogged,” Browning says.
She adds that we need the air to flow inside to feel cool during sleep, which is when we get the best rest.
But it’s not just sweat that we have to think about, the dead skin cells we shed during sleep are also a concern.
“If you don’t wash your bedding enough, these dead skin cells will build up on them,” she says.
Is this too terrifying? Yes, and things get worse, as this buildup means that tiny organisms known as bed mites can feed on those cells, causing discomfort and rashes.
“Not only does this make you sleep in filth and dead skin cells, but bed moths as well,” Browning says.
picture released, Getty Images
When you get a good night’s sleep, you get rid of dead skin cells
Does the timing of the year differ in the matter?
To some extent yes, “we can be more indulgent during the winter”, but once a week (washing bedding) “would be ideal”.
“If you do it once every two weeks, you’re entering a not-so-good cycle,” she says.
She says that even though we sweat less during the winter, we continue to shed dead skin cells.
A survey showed that 18 percent of people said that taking a shower at night, so as not to dirty the bedding, was the reason why the sheets were not changed regularly.
Summer brings with it problems like hay fever and pollen, Browning says.
“It’s really important to wash your bedding regularly (so) you don’t get these allergens while you sleep and lead to congestion,” she says.
picture released, Getty Images
“We sleep well in hotels because the bedrooms are often well arranged, and the sheets are clean and changed regularly.”
safe haven
A study by the Pizzona bedding company showed that among the top reasons people say they don’t change them often are forgetfulness (67 percent), not caring (35 percent), not having any other clean sheets (22 percent), While 38 percent said they did not think “most of the time” that the bedding needed washing.
Your bedroom should serve as a “safe haven” to sleep, Browning says, “a wonderful, fun place to be happy.”
Browning is frequented by people who suffer from insomnia. “If you don’t wash the bedding, and it looks dirty, you’ll smell it, and it makes your bed feel less comfortable,” she says.
“If we go to bed and feel relaxed, comfortable and happy, the good smell of the mattress cover also helps us feel calm and happy,” she says.