You woke up feeling tired and sick than sleeping the night before, and heck, you have things in your bedroom that make you sick. You’ve probably wondered why you wake up having itches, nasal congestion, sore throats, and red lumps over your body. Might hap the culprit is your bedroom – and it’s making you sick.

Things in your bedroom that make you sick

So, here are things in your bedroom that make you sick. To prevent that from happening further, we also collated some helpful tips to ‘clean up’ those factors making you feel unwell.

Dust mites and bed bugs

Dust mites stick on your pillows, bed sheets, and mattresses. Also, bed bugs can bite, vomit, or excrete on your bedding that can cause skin irritation, allergies, asthma, and flu.

Molds

Molds build up in humid temperatures and can cause respiratory problems with sleepers. Improper room humidity levels will lead to physical constraints such as wheezing, shortness in breath, chronic cough, or chest pain.

Pet fur dander

Your pet’s fur can cause irritation and brings in nasal congestion or breathing problems. What’s more, dust, allergens, and bugs can crawl and stick to your pet’s fur and can stick to your beddings.

Pollen

Pollen is seemingly harmless, but it can bring allergies to people sleeping with flowering plants in the room. Its microscopic spores can trigger asthma, runny nose, and breathing problems.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Air fresheners, makeup, or synthetic materials in your bedding may contain harmful VOCs that will irritate your nose. It can cause serious breathing problems and other respiratory illnesses.

Where they’ll likely be

These matters in your bedroom that make you sick will stick in a lot of common places. Here’s where they’ll likely be present when you sleep:

Pillows and bed sheets

Pillows are the first ones we lay our head into and will easily get excessive matters such as oil, makeup, bacteria, molds, bed bugs, and dust mites. If left unclean, your fluffs can give you allergies, breathing problems, sore throat, and headache.

Mattresses

Likewise, your mattress can get soggy from molds and holds other disgusting matters such as dust mites and bed bugs. These health busters can add skin irritation and respiratory problems as well.

Room plants

Bedroom plants help purify the air, but, if you overwater them, they can rot and produce mold spores in its soil. This can trigger allergens on asthmatic people. Instead of purifying toxins in your room, it can add more to it.

Pets sleeping on bed

Sure, you love Fido, but having him on your bed can cause respiratory problems and sleep disturbances. So, it’s best to let your pooch sleep on his own bed. Chances are, their fur is full of dirt, dust, and bacteria that’ll give you problems during sleep.

Vacuums and cleaning products

You think your vacuum will tackle dirt and dust bunnies, but without a HEPA filter, it can spray dirt, dust, and grime back to your bedroom. When choosing a vacuum cleaner, make sure it has quality-grade HEPA filters that hold the particles in.

Got cleaning products in the bedroom that make you sick? Meanwhile, you can use natural cleaning solutions free from harmful chemicals. DIY cleaners like vinegar and baking soda are effective in keeping your bedroom clean.

Candles

Paraffin candles contain and release harmful chemicals such as benzene and toluene as they burn. These act as irritants to people with breathing problems already.

Humidifier

If you neglect cleaning your humidifier, you’ll find yourself suffering from allergies or nasal congestion. Too much moister can promote the growth of mold in the humidifier.

What you can do about it

Your bedroom, really? We spend most of our lives in the bedroom. While it’s a haven for rest and relaxation, we tend to build clutter subconsciously overtime that it’s taking a toll on our health. Our cluttered ways and bad habits can physical and emotional symptoms on our bodies that will ruin sleep.

Here’s what you can do to create a relaxing bedroom.

Clean and organize your room

To remove dust build up and bacteria growth, clean your room every now and then to remove bugs, mites, and allergens causing havoc to your sleep. If you leave your room unclean and unorganized, it can turn out as a real haven for bacteria growth that can make you sick. Make sure to clean hard-to-reach places because that’s where they’ll often be.

Don’t let Fido and Mittens in

If you want to avoid pet dander sticking on your rug and bed sheets, leave your pets outside the bedroom. Let them have their own bed where they can shed their fur on. For die-hard pet lovers out there, yes, it’s fine to have your pets inside the room, but get them some beds specifically made for them. Also, make sure to clean up the room as much as you can to avoid allergies.

Clean your humidifier

On winter or cold days, you get to experience dry and itchy skin. That’s why, having a humidifier is important in your home. However, too much use can lead to moist buildup – hence, bacteria and mold growth. Change the water of your humidifier everyday and clean the device at least once a week.

Choose your plants wisely

There are some plants best kept outside of the house and there are those that boost your sleep at night. When choosing your bedroom plants, know their characteristics and proper care before taking them in. Why not have an English Ivy, Peace Lily, or Aloe Vera instead? The latter promotes air quality and emits oxygen at night to benefit your sleep. Plus, it’s lenient to neglect of care anyway.

Deep clean your bed

Do some deep cleaning starting from your pillows down to the bed frame. For your fluffs, check whether it has smelled, changed in color (due to mildew), or became soggy. Use non-toxic or DIY cleaners that can combat stains and odors (lemon, baking soda, vinegar, etc.).