Allergy Advice

The information given on this page is not meant to scare you, but to provide some information that may help those of you who suffer from one or more allergies that can be caused by the presence of Dust Mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) that invade most households throughout the U.K. The presence of these minute creatures in your home is not a sign of uncleanliness, it is the warm environment that our modern day homes offer created by central heating systems and double glazing that attracts them and especially the safe haven of our mattresses where the humidity is high and they can enjoy a constant supply of food.

It is not uncommon for a mattress to contain 2 million or more of these creatures who mainly exist by feeding on the tiny skin scales that we shed every night whilst blissfully sleeping. Because we more often than not sleep in a warm environment which causes us to perspire around 75 ml of fluid each night which soaks through to the upper level of the mattress where the fillings are situated creating an ideal breeding ground for the Dust Mite. The humidity and perspiration help to form a fungi which breaks down the skin scales so that they can be eaten by the mite.

However it is not the Dust Mite itself that causes many of us to suffer from such allergies as Asthma, perennial Rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal passage causing sneezing and a blocked or runny nose) and Eczema (irritable skin condition), it is their droppings that are the problem. The droppings produce certain enzymes that can cause the human body to react triggering one or more of these allergies. Each mite can produce around 2000 pellets in its lifetime than spans approx 3 months. These minute pellets are then breathed in by the human lodging in either the nasal passage causing Rhinitis or in the lung passages which then become inflamed causing breathing difficulties.

As most of us spend around 8 hours per night in bed (approximately 1/3rd of our life) lying very near to these creatures it is vitally important that we try to make our sleeping environment as clean and as healthy as possible. The premium grade Hypo-Allergenic fillings used inside the NUBed range of mattresses have been specially selected with this in mind.

Although it would be wrong to 100% guarantee that dust mites will not try to exist in these mattresses, their population will be greatly reduced because mattresses filled with either Foam, Natural Latex or Memory Foam have properties that are alien to the dust mite who prefer mattresses with other types of fillings.

To help provide even more protection it would be advisable to use a Seasons Mattress Protector which can be washed at regular intervals helping to keep your sleep environment as healthy as possible. Please refer to the Mattress Protectors page.

Pillows can also attract dust mites so bearing in mind that your head rests on the pillow it is essential that this item is kept clean. You may wish to consider purchasing our special Seasons Pillow that can be washed up to 40 degrees C. Please refer to the Pillow page.

General Advice.

• It is always sensible to try and leave a bedroom window open during the night to allow fresh air to circulate which will help to reduce the humidity which in turn will hopefully fend off the dust mite population. If security is not a problem then also try to leave the window open during the daytime to keep the room ventilated.
• If during the colder winter months it is too cold when opening a window, you may then consider to purchase a ventilation unit with a heat exchanger allowing you to extract allergens from the room and at the same time prevent allergens entering from outside.
• Turn back the bed sheets / duvet during the day keeping the bed aired and cool.
• A light vacuuming over the surface of the mattress is also worthwhile from time to time, the emphasis on the word light being important.
• Wash all bedding on a regular basis.

For people who suffer from allergies it would be worthwhile considering to have your mattress cleaned on a regular basis. Please contact -The Mattress Doctor for this service.