Like everything that touches your skin, your bidding can have either a positive or negative effect on your skin. Think about facial massages, for instance. Around 50% of women experience skin tightening, while 54% say it makes their skin feel supple. It goes to show that not everyone reacts the same way to different products, and that includes the sheets and blankets you sleep with every night. If you’re worried about the wrong bedding damaging your skin, take a look at some useful information about what works and what doesn’t for those that have had previous issues with bedding. Then you can easily choose the right type for your personal style and budget.
The Age of Your Bedding Matters
Things like dead skin, bed bugs, and dust mites can have an effect on the way your skin reacts to the bedding you sleep in. According to the professionals from Elle Decor, you are likely to keep your mattress for as little as 5 years up to 10 years or more. It doesn’t matter what kind of a mattress it is either. It could be a spring mattress, water bed, or one made of memory foam. The longer you keep your mattress, the more these contaminants will infest the area where you’re sleeping and, in turn, cause damaging problems to your skin.
One way to ensure that your mattress isn’t causing skin irritations or other problems is by cleaning the sheets frequently, as well as the mattress itself. In most instances, you can use a basic upholstery cleaning device to wash your mattress every month or so. This will help eliminate those allergens that could otherwise lead to uncomfortable skin damage.
Choosing the Right Sheets
Selecting the right sheets for your skin type is essential to having a comfortable sleep and avoiding skin problems. Depending on your budget, you should consider hypoallergenic sheets if you have sensitive skin or suffer from other known allergies. If you’re not sure if you have an existing skin condition, visit your doctor. They can do a simple scrape of the skin and have it tested to see if there is an underlying issue as to why you’re seeing issues or irritation on the surface of your skin after sleeping.
Keep it Clean
The most important thing that you can do in order to prevent skin damage before it occurs is by keeping your bedding washed. Ideally, especially if you’re someone who is allergic to dust mites, you should wash your bedding in hot water at least once a week. In addition to the contaminants mentioned, your sheets are a breeding ground for bacteria. When you sleep in standard cotton sheets, you’re likely to sweat, allowing all that bacteria into your skin glands. It could be a very good reason why you’re waking up with rashes, itchy spots, or other irritation.
If you aren’t necessarily suffering from allergy-related skin conditions but your sheets seem to be causing you to break out into different forms of acne, the washing regimen is much stricter. In that case, it’s suggested you wash your bedding every day. It might seem like a lot, but if it means the difference between clear skin or dealing with breakouts, most seem to find it’s worth the extra effort.
Before you go out and blow your entire budget on what are considered to be the extravagant bedding options out there, do your research. You may find that more expensive sheets, pillowcases, and comforters aren’t necessarily the right choice for you. Instead of risking doing more damage to your skin with the wrong bedding, explore the possible choices before deciding on what you’re going to jump into every night.