It is estimated that over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and of that number approximately 30 million American suffer from asthma. While there can be many different allergic triggers that cause respiratory allergies and asthma, one such allergic toxin naturally occurs in every bed and pillow, dust mites. Not only do dust mites and their droppings cause symptoms such as red itchy eyes, sinus irritation and breathing difficulties, they can also lead to a full blown asthma attack, even worse during the time your body is trying to rejuvenate itself, while you sleep. It is well documented that a disproportionate percentage of asthma attacks that result in fatality occur during the hours we typically sleep, 12am to 6am. This is a direct result of allergens, dust mites and their droppings, and other micro toxins which build up over time in our mattresses, pillows, box springs, and duvets.
It's a fact: the average person spends a third of their life (220,000 hours) in bed. Coupled with the reality that the average mattress can contain millions of dust mites and the implications are worrisome ? those millions of microscopic dust mites can cause a little more than a few irritations over a lifetime.
Here are a few more dust mite facts: ?One dust mite will produce 20 waste droppings in a single day and females can produce upwards of 2000 fecal particles during their lifetime. ?Dust mite droppings are small enough to get lodged in a human lung's bronchial tube, which results in asthma and skin irritation. ?Ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be attributed to deceased dust mites and their excretions. ?Since they do not drink water but instead absorb moisture thru their shell, humid climates and seasons allow them to breed and thrive at a much higher rate. ?The average life span of a female dust mite is ten weeks; during this time she will lay 60 to 100 eggs.
Many families assume that simply washing their sheets once a week will solve the dust mite problem. This assumption is wrong in that bleach and soaps do not kill dust mites because they actually live in mattresses and pillows, not in the sheets or pillowcases that are being washed.
One way to kill dust mites is to either freeze or heat up your mattresses and pillows to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This has to be done for over an hour and needs to be repeated frequently, as dust mites reproduce in less than a five week span. However, constantly burning and freezing a pillow or mattress is dangerous and cumbersome, if not downright impossible (you'd need access to a meat locker to freeze a king-size mattress). Additionally, dust mites are not confined to your mattress or pillow, as they can be transported via minor air currents created by normal household activities.
Vacuuming your mattress or pillows also bears little effect, as dust mites have the ability to climb deep within your mattresses? fabric. Put simply, cleaning, washing or vacuuming will not rid the average American household of dust mites and their enormous amounts of dust mite excretions.
With over 50 million Americans suffering from allergies or asthma, finding a sustainable method to combat the dust mite problem has to become a priority for households across the country.
Encasing your mattress and pillows in allergen-impermeable mattress encasements and pillow covers is the most simple and realistic way to protect your sleep. These encasements will trap existing dust mites inside your mattress and pillows and protect you from future dust mite infestations. It should be noted that one should search for an allergen bedding product that has a pore size of less than one micron to insure the highest level of protection from these known micro toxins.
Allergen-impermeable mattress encasements and pillow covers are relatively inexpensive and are widely available online and in most large or chain stores. These bedding encasements offer protection against dust mites, and help avoid allergy outbreaks and asthma attacks.
Ben Anton 2007
Ah, the almighty dust mite. It used to be thought that although dust mites, indeed, do look creepy crawly and pretty scary when you look at them up close (you must magnify them to look at them, as they are microscopic insects), that they were relatively harmless. Now, however, we know that this is not the case. Unfortunately, there's little you can do about dust mites. They're here, and they're here to stay. However, you can do things that will help you manage them, if not completely eradicate them.
In a normal mattress, there are literally thousands and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dust mites in it. The same holds true for your pillows. Now, you can't see them, because as stated above, they are microscopic. There are hundreds of them in a speck of dust. Nonetheless, although they are tiny, they can cause havoc for you, especially if you have asthma or other allergies.
Simply put, dust mites have a protein in their waste that can trigger an asthma attack. And, guess what? They can produce 200 times their body weight in waste. That's a lot of dust mite waste to be breathing in, and it can help your asthma symptoms a lot to minimize it.
Although dust mites are in every room in your house, they are particularly popular in the bedroom. They seem to like mattresses and pillows especially, for example. Dust mites live off the dust in your house (which is how they got their name "dust mite"), and by and large, they like the dust in your house. And dust is composed of, what? Dead skin cells. Yes, you guessed it, dead skin cells that we shed every day just going through the course of our daily lives. Perhaps you didn't know that not only do you shed skin cells when you're in the shower trying to exfoliate, but you also shed skin cells simply by brushing your hand against your shirt, for example, or pulling on a pair of slacks. The simple act of touching skin sloughs off tiny microscopic particles of skin, and this is the kind of thing dust mites like.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to eliminate dust mites completely. It simply can't be done. However, you can do your part to greatly minimize them in your house. Certainly, you can cut them down enough so that you can live with your allergy and/or asthma symptoms and so that dust mites don't bother you.
First of all, you can go a long way toward eliminating allergy and/or asthma symptoms, especially at night, by buying yourself an anti-mite dust cover for both your mattress and pillows. Most department stores now carry these, and you can also find them online. Not only do they protect the mattress and/or pillows from being infested by dust mites, but they will protect you from any dust mites that are already there.
Second of all, do the best you can to keep your house very clean. This is not to say sterile, however. It is greatly touted, now, that antibacterial cleaners and our rabid need to have our homes "sterile" are among the main reasons that we are developing asthma at greater and greater rates. We simply don't develop our immunities to the point that we used to, because we don't live around enough dirt, simply put. In addition, children don't play outside the way they used to, and so, they aren't exposed to dirt, as they were then, to build up the proper immunities. Therefore, although you must keep your house clean, you should not keep it sterile. A big factor in allergies, though, is dust in the house, and this you can do your best to keep to a minimum without having to do the antibacterial scourge. To do this, simply use a damp cloth to dust, making sure that you pick up dust instead of simply scattering it around, as a feather duster would.
Third of all, make sure you wash your bedding weekly. Use hot water when you do so. If a great deal of the clothes your closet tend to hang for long periods of time without being worn, you might want to consider using dust mite covers for them as well, including your bedding and pillows. Finally, you should either have no carpeting in your house or a very good vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. You can also wear a facemask when you vacuum if vacuuming causes allergies or an asthma attack for you.
Although dust mites are bother, they can be a nuisance instead of a hazard with these simple steps. You may even find once you've taken steps to control them that dust mites are a major cause of your asthma attacks and that controlling them will greatly ease your symptoms.
Both Ben Anton & Gaia22 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ben Anton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Software, Home and Writing. Want to learn more about protecting your sleep from ?Check out the CleanRest website to view the full line of quality. Ben Anton's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.
Gaia22 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Energy Healing, Vitamin and Mineral Supplement and Allergies. Gaetane Ross is a Certified Natural Health Consultant who has spent over 4 years focusing on Nutrition and Health. She also specializes in Alternative Medicine, Spiritual Healing and Healthy Lifestyle. http://ThePathToHealthyLiving.com. Gaia22's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.