15 Jan 2024: There are times in your life when you feel poorly, but you can’t quite put your finger on what’s making you sick – and an expert has warned that if you have a dry cough and breathing issues, you may be sharing your home with a micro-organism.
If you wake up in the morning and feel as though your eyes are sore, your skin is itchy, and you have a dry cough that seems to be persisting, experts have shared that you may well have something lurking within your home. Bedroom experts at Winstons Beds explained your grim symptoms may be down to dust mites.
Such symptoms could be an indicator your bed may be infested with pesky dust mites, which are minuscule pests attracted to dead skin cells in the bedding and are likely to appear in bedrooms with high humidity levels, reports Wales Online.
But how can you get rid of them? Regular dusting, hot washes and allergen-proof bedding are some ways to prevent the critters from appearing.
Rebecca Swain, mattress expert at Winstons Beds, explained: “If you notice you’re itching uncontrollably despite having no bite marks, it’s more than likely you’re sharing a bed with a horde of dust mites. While you can’t see the critters without using a microscope, their presence can be known if you’re suffering from a dry cough in the morning and itchy eyes.
“Make sure to put all of the bedding on a 60C wash and dust the entire bedroom to reduce the chances of them from spawning.”
According to a study, house dust mites can serve as carriers of bacteria responsible for triggering antibodies, which is a type of protein the immune system makes to recognise and get rid of germs.
Here are six signs your bed has dust mites:
Dry cough: If you’re waking up with a sore throat and a dry cough it’s a strong indicator that the bed is infested with dust mites.
Itchy skin: The main symptom of dust mites is itchy skin. The critters feed on dead skin cells in the bed which is why it’s important to regularly wash bedding on a 60C cycle to prevent an infestation.
Sneezing: Sleeping on an area of the bed that is infested with critters can stir up allergies and cause sneezing and runny noses.
Difficulty breathing: The allergens caused by dust mites can cause your chest to tighten making it difficult to breathe in the night. Make sure to vacuum the room to remove the critters and excess dust particles.
Red and itchy eyes: The flu-like symptoms can make your eyes water and become itchy when exposed to the pests. Apply a cold cloth over your eyes to ease the symptoms and immediately strip the bedding.
Disrupted sleep: The presence of dust mites can ruin sleep as you’ll likely wake up due to breathing difficulties. It’s worth investing in allergen-proof bedding to allow for a smoother night’s sleep.
The NHS shared that house dust mites are a common allergen, and can cause allergic reactions. They shared it’s harmful, however, if:
- your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
- you’re breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you’re choking or gasping for air)
- your throat feels tight or you’re struggling to swallow
- your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
- you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
- someone faints and cannot be woken up
Credit to:- Danielle Kate Wroe (Mirror)