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Indika Organics - Organic Bedding and matirials. Full line of Anti Dust mite and bed bug prook fabrics bedding and materials.
BAD MITES SLEEP
YOU really could be sleeping with the enemy, according to new research.
Bed bugs are back with a vengeance, experts warn, and the problem seems largely due to our love of foreign holidays.
Clive Boase, author of Bedbugs: Reclaiming Our Cities, believes hordes of the blood-sucking insects are being imported back to this country in our luggage.
He says: "This is a serious problem we have in Britain.
"However we are not the only ones affected - this is an international problem. The rise in air travel and the growing resistance of bed bugs to insecticides would appear to be the main reasons for this resurgence, but there are other factors which still aren't clear."
So what are the main health hazards waiting for you between the sheets? Here Vital reveals some of the most common and asks the experts for their solutions so you can get a good night's sleep.
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1 Old Mattress
Many are made from synthetic foam which may contain the fire retardant, formaldehyde. This has now been banned by the EU after tests showed it disrupts the brain development in animals.
SOLUTION: The Sleep Council recommend changing your mattress at least every 10 years. For info on chemical-free mattresses log on to www.healthy-house.co.uk
2 Small Bed
The average person spends at least one third of their life sleeping.
That means if you live to be 80 and sleep eight hours per day, you'll have spent almost 230,000 hours - 26 years - asleep in bed.
In Europe most people sleep in a roomy 160cm by 200cm bed.
We Scots still favour the 135cm by 190cm bed. But experts say big is definitely better.
The average person tosses and turns 70 times a night, so you want to put as much space as possible between you and your partner.
SOLUTION: Invest in a king size. It's essential to try out abed before buying. A good bed should allow ease of movement but mould to the contours of your body.
3 Bed Bugs
Thought to have been wiped out decades ago, these critters are back. Numbers have also soared due to the growth of super bed bugs which are resistant to many insecticides. The popularity of car boot sales has also helped spread them around. Females can lay around 350 eggs in a lifetime and their bites are often mistaken for flea, tick or mosquito bites. They're about the size of a grain of rice and can drink four times their body weight in blood in just 15 minutes.
SOLUTION: Vacuum suitcases after holidays. Check bed sheets for blood spots. Professional help is needed to get rid of bed bugs so contact the council pest control office.
4 Dust Mites
You may be sharing your bed with up to two million dust mites every night. Their droppings trigger an attack in many asthma sufferers.
Asthmatics are already at their most vulnerable when asleep due to a drop in adrenalin which narrows airways.
SOLUTION: Reduce droppings by 95 per cent by regularly machine washing your bedding at temperatures above 60C.Keep your bedroom well ventilated too.
Also, air your bed before making it. The warm, damp conditions in an occupied bed are ideal for the creatures. They are less likely to thrive in a drier environment.
For more info contact the Allergy UK helpline on 020 8303 8583 or visit www.allergyuk.org
5 Your back
This year at least 40 per cent of us will suffer from back pain and time spent in bed could be a culprit.
Research shows first thing in the morning is a prime time for injury as your body is stiffer, the discs in your back having expanded overnight, leaving you more vulnerable.
SOLUTION: Start off slowly in the morning and avoid vigorous lifting or bending for at least the first 30 minutes.
By then, standing up has depressed the discs again - by about 10 per cent - you're back to normal height and risk is reduced.
Your bed should be a height which makes it easy to get into and out of. When getting in, sit on the edge, lower your body on to one elbow and shoulder and draw up your knees and then feet. Reverse the procedure to get out.
For more tips contact the Backpain charity helpline on 0845 130 2704 or at www.backpain.org
6 Your Joints
Arthritis pain is often more severe at night.
The condition is frequently triggered by over-activity of the immune system and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses the immune system, are lowest in the early hours.
SOLUTION: Take your pain medication shortly before bed. For more info contact the Arthritis Care helpline on 0808 800 4050 or log on to www.arthritiscare.org.uk
PS:
If after all that you still can't sleep, don't suffer in silence.
The pace of 21st century life has left one in four Scots suffering from a chronic lack of sleep so you're not alone.
The average night's sleep in Scotland is 90 minutes less than it was in the Twenties, when it was nine hours per night.