The topic of making your bed probably gives you a flashback to you being a child and getting told by your parents to make your bed. If you were anything like most teenagers then you just completely ignored this and labelled it as a waste of time, and now results in you not doing it as an adult.
Making your bed is often one of those tasks that you end up ignoring especially with the busy lives that we now live meaning that we have to wake up earlier and earlier while having less time to prepare for the day.
The common excuse for not making a bed is that it’s only going to get messy again at night or that no one's going to see it, and these excuses do have some logic to them. But if this were the case then why do you bother tidying the rest of your room or home.
You may not understand the benefit of making sure your bed looks presentable each day we’ve collated several overlooked positives of making your bed, which should change how you think about the task.
Start positively and remove tiredness
For the majority of people when we wake in the morning, it’s not our regular waking time, and we have to force ourselves up earlier than usual whether this is for work or other commitments in our lives. Because of this, there’s always the urge to stay in bed for longer.
If your bed remains unmade, it stays as an open invitation for you to get back in and have a few more minutes sleep. When you make your bed, it makes you focus on the rest of the day and stops the temptation. Subconsciously your brain will also accept that you aren’t going to be back to bed.
Protect your mattress
Making your bed can protect not only your mattress but also your health. Most people spend most of their home time in their bedroom which means that you’ll either be on your laptop or mobile for hours on end because your bed is often one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture in your home.
When you leave your home if you have pets, they may be used to using your bed as a resting spot so if your bed isn’t made it will transfer any dirt and germs from their paws directly onto your bed. Nobody wants dirt or grime on their sheets, and a clean bed will help you get to sleep better and feel more comfortable.
Making your bed also helps to keep your sheet fresh especially if you’re prone to night sweats then this gives your sheets a chance to air out which isn’t possible if you leave them.
Happy people make their bed
Believe it or not, it’s true! Hunch.com carried out a survey of 68,000 people, and it was found that 71% of bed makers where happy with life whereas 62% of those who don't make their bed where unhappy with lift. The study also found that those who made their bed were more likely to like their job, be a homeowner and exercise regularly.
This is no surprise because living in an organised environment can have a positive impact on our overall mental state and it only takes 30 seconds to do it. It kickstarts your day with a small sense of achievement.
You’ll sleep better
The National Sleep Foundation found that people who make their bed each morning are 19% more likely to experience a good nights sleep.
This is not a shock finding because in the same study it was revealed that 62% of those surveyed also thought that a clean room promotes higher sleep quality.
This is a huge find especially considering it only takes a few seconds to make your bed each day.
Kickstart your tidying
Tidying your bedroom is always the last thing you want to do and if you’re someone that always starts but never finishes it then making your bed can solve this.
Tidying is all about building momentum, so if you start with a small task, this can give you the motivation which then snowballs into you tidying the whole room.
Return Home to a Tidy room
We’ve all been there when we’ve come home from a long day at work or school, and we open the door to see a messy room or home.
Making your bed is a simple yet effective way of removing the possibility of this happening, and it also makes your room look more homely and inviting for you to get into bed.
Keep it guest friendly
If you’re the sociable type who always has guests and friends visiting your home, then there’s a chance that they may end up seeing your room. We all understand that messy bedrooms can happen, making your bed ensures that your room will be pleasant for guests to see.
You’d be surprised that if the rest of the room is messy, but the bed is made it still makes a considerable difference and almost diverts attention away from the rest of the room especially if you have a big bed.
Although there’s nothing wrong with not have a guest friendly room it does stop the mild embarrassment if guests end up in your room that doesn’t have the bed made
Can making your bed ever be unhealthy?
So it may not all be roses by making your bed each morning. There have been some findings released that claim that making your bed is bad for you. A study published in 2006 in the Experimental & Applied Acarology journal found that making your bed promotes an environment that accelerates the formation of dust mites.
The theory behind this is that having the cover fitted neatly to the bed increases the temperature of the bed which promotes the development of dust mites and microscopic bugs. However, leaving your bed unmade means the sheets can have more fresh air and light which can diminish the growth of these mites.
Now, this all sounds believable however the average bed is already home to an average of between 100,000 to 10 million mites of dust mites, so the extra fresh air is hardly going to have any effect.
We’re in a world where we’re surrounded by bacteria all day long so leaving your bed unmade is unlikely to have any measurable positive impact on your health.
By maintaining proper hygiene and washing your sheets every other week, this should remove any unwanted organisms from your sheets, while still allowing you to reap the benefits of making your bed.
Your bedroom is your sanctuary and making your bed is a powerful way of maintaining it. If you want to start your day off in the right direction and don’t want to spend a lot of time, then making your bed each morning is the way to do it. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes to your life.