Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bob Colley
If you thought you were safe snuggled in your bed then you should be afraid, very afraid. Dangers lurk in your bedroom and can be more deadly than Jack Bauer on a rampage.
Your body may be feeding critters, your bed a chemical mine field and radiation is cooking your insides like last nights leftovers in a rusty microwave.
Sin #1 – Dust Mites
Every night you are sharing your bed with up to 6 billion dust mites and they are feeding on the 40,000 dead skin cells you shed every minute. And they especially love the comfort of your pillow as much as you do.
Dust mites are a common cause of asthma and allergic reactions in people.
Keep dust mites at bay by keeping the humidity level in your house below 50%, wash your bedding weekly in hot water and put them in the dryer and use a steamer on your mattress monthly.
Sin #2 – Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields
Low frequency electromagnetic fields are present anytime an electrical current is passing through an appliance or lighting like your nightstand light or your clock radio. They create both magnetic and electric fields and a Swedish study showed an increase in childhood and adult leukemia when exposed to such fields.
Keep electric devices a good arms length away from your bed and never use an electric blanket while you’re sleeping – use it heat up your bed then turn it off.
Sin #3 – Metal Bed Springs
Metal bed springs act as an antenna for radio waves and your bed may develop magnetic hot spots throughout the mattress and box spring.
This has been shown to cause chronic fatigue and insomnia by interfering with your body’s own magnetic field and may be a possible factor in breast cancer and melanoma.
Switch to a wooden bed frame and get a mattress without metal springs.
Sin #4 – Bed Bugs
Bed bugs feed on human blood and are reddish-brown, flat, and oval in shape and about the size of an apple seed. They come home with you from your vacation and make themselves comfortable in your furniture, clothing and your mattress.
Check for them around your mattress and box spring. You may have red bite marks on your arms or since they love your face they will feast on your cheeks while your slumber.
You can try Diatomaceous Earth because it kills the bed bugs by dehydrating them. Since they can be hard to eradicate, sometimes you just have to call in a profession exterminator.
Sin # 5 – Mold and Mildew
Your body sweats to cool down and you put out over a pint of sweat every night that gets absorbed into your sheets and seeps into your mattress.
Leaving your mattress on the floor or up against an outside wall invites mold to invade your bed from the bottom and the sides.
Make sure your mattress is up off the floor, install a headboard, use a mattress pad and wash it monthly and get a fan to circulate the air or a dehumidifier if your bedroom is too damp.
Sin # 6 – Formaldehyde
Used in the glue of pressed wood products to make new furniture like your bed frame and night stands. It is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen. Some of the effects of formaldehyde include respiratory problems, nausea, burning of the eyes and throat and headaches.
It also gasses off from water proof or wrinkle free bedding.
Avoid cheap pressed wood products, also known as Beaver puke. Solid wood furniture and all cotton sheets can drastically reduce your exposure.
Sin # 7 – Radon Gas
Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in rocks and the soil and is found all over the country.
Radon gas can creep into your home through your concrete block basement walls. You can get a testing kit at your local hardware store to determine the level of radon gas in your home.
Don’t sleep in a basement bedroom, seal all cracks in basement walls and install a fan system what vents the air in your basement to the outside. If radon gas levels are over 4 picocuries per liter then call an experienced contractor for help in making your home safer.
If you take the time to save yourself from the seven deadly bedroom sins you will be healthier, sleep better and reduce your risk of an early death.
If you don’t, then don’t blame me if you’re awake all night listening to the bugs much away at your flesh, the hum of electric fields cooking your organs and the hiss of the deadly gasses surrounding you.
Have a nice sleep.