The reason you should make your bed each day
Just when we were slapping ourselves on the wrists for leaving our bed sheets in a messy pile each morning, stories on the web suggest that the biggest faux pas would be to tidy them up. What’s the right way to go? And how does your decision to make or not make your bed affect your mental and physical health? We polled Houzz’s global community and turned to some international experts for answers.
The world is divided in two, especially in the morning. There are those who turn off the alarm and leap out of bed, and those who hit snooze at least twice before giving up and dragging themselves up. Some people put the kettle on for tea, others can’t face the day without coffee, black and strong.
Finally, there are those who don’t think twice about dashing out the door with an unmade bed and those who find virtue in completing this chore first. In the latter camp is former US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, who told a graduating class at the University of Texas at Austin, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day.”
Whether you hit the deck running or take the day at an easy pace, the subject of making your bed is more complex than you might think. It involves sheets, dust mites, good habits, bad habits and comfy duvets.
A poll of Houzz readers in seven countries (the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Russia) revealed that at least 60 percent of participants in each country fluff the pillows and pull up the sheets every morning.
Houzz France user Cindy Lemaire is a fan of making the bed every morning. “I systematically make the bed after my husband gets up, because he does not do it my way!” she says.
UK Houzzer Chris Venter is of the same opinion. “I would never leave home if my bed were not made. Sometimes when I’m running a bit late in the mornings, I drop my daughter off at school but go straight back home to make my bed and start the dishwasher, and only then leave for work. Nothing worse than walking into an untidy home after work.”
Cindy and Chris are not alone, and there are many reasons why.
THE PROS OF MAKING YOUR BED
It starts your day off on the right foot
Being proactive in the morning draws on something deep and complex, like our approach to life itself. Those who make their beds regularly cultivate a proactive attitude that goes beyond the minutes spent straightening out the sheets.
As writer Sean Covey says in his motivational books, “We become what we do repeatedly.” Better to develop a good habit than a bad one. In his book, The Power of Habit, writer Charles Duhigg says, “Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of wellbeing, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.” In other words, this could be one way to build a series of good habits.
Some people, however, don’t make the bed out of a sense of duty but instead with the anticipation of coming back to a clean house at the end of the day.
“I always make the bed. Seeing it unmade is like having dirty dishes in the sink overnight. I like to come into a clean kitchen in the morning, just as I like to come back to a home where there’s no mess. It’s a matter of convenience. I feel comfortable like this,” Houzz Russia user Liria Su says.
“My anticipation about seeing and feeling the made bed in the evening is so big, it becomes easy for me to do it,” says German Houzzer Christ Licht & Energie.
It helps you sleep better
A study by America’s National Sleep Foundation found that “participants who reported regularly making their bed were also more likely to say they got a good night’s sleep most nights”. However, it’s difficult to say whether the real reason for sweet dreams is neatly tucked sheets, a clear conscience or something else.
THE CONS OF TIDY BEDDING
The ick factor
On the other side of the coin, there are those who, swinging their pillows, fight for the right to leave the duvet in its natural state. The main reason is that dust mites, which feed on the natural sloughing of skin, love warm environments.
Houzz France user rono_92 writes: “You shouldn’t make your bed, otherwise the dust mites stay in a warm environment all day, where they can multiply. Keep it open all day so the sweat evaporates, and make it in the evening only.”
Dr. Stephen Pretlove of Kingston University in London made this argument a decade ago and the media debate on the topic continues to this day. “We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body,” Pretlove said. “Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die.”
Taking the middle way
So, what now? Is life a pass-fail test or a box of assorted chocolates? Are there more choices than yes or no?
“I think I’m somewhere in-between,” says Houzz Italy user Irina Bosco. “Sometimes I make the bed and sometimes not, depending on the weather, my mood and many other things. But I do like a freshly made bed, with the smell of freshly laundered sheets. I even take a shower first, so I can feel as clean as possible getting in.”
Art Office from Russia also takes a “yes and no” approach. “I make my bed only during the week. On weekends, we should relax and leave a little mess.”
A final word from the experts
The world is not black and white. The dark side of the Force is not lurking in the bedroom. According to Dr Maree Barnes, president of the Australasian Sleep Association, the answer to any question about sleep is that it’s up to the individual: “There is no real reason the bed needs to be made every day, but if it helps you to sleep better, then you should do it,” she says.
As for the reason not to make it, Barnes says that it’s certainly plausible that dust mites can be an issue, but if proper attention is paid, you can pull your sheets to with pleasure. “Dust mites live on flakes of skin that we shed all the time, so essentially our bed does tend to accumulate flakes of skin on which dust mites could live. However, if you shake out your sheets, blankets and pillows every morning when you get out of bed, then there’s no reason why you can’t make the bed afterward,” she says.
Mindy Starns Clark, author of the bestselling The House That Cleans Itself, offers more relief from guilt. She claims the decision should be a mental and emotional one: “If a made bed feels good to you and/or your loved ones – the room seems neater, you feel better about your home and yourself, etc. – then you need to make it each day,” she tells Houzz. “Most folks, including me, fall into this camp. On the other hand, if a made bed has zero emotional impact on you or your loved ones, then don’t worry about it. Life’s too short.”
So we are free to do as we like. But if we want to at least keep up appearances, Clark has two key techniques that even the laziest or most harried of us can follow. “First, always use bedding that doesn’t take a lot of work to look good. For example, the thicker your comforter or quilt, the better job it will do of hiding messy sheets underneath,” she says.
“Second, make sure all of the beds in your home can easily be accessed from three sides,” Clark continues. “No pushing the beds against corner walls. If you can’t walk around three sides of a bed, it’s going to be too hard to make it on a consistent basis and your habit will likely not persist,” she says.
Finally, if you decide not to make your bed daily, Clark suggests setting up your bedroom so the head of the bed sits against the same wall as the door; that way, our eyes will move straight to the opposite wall and the unmade bed is kept out of sight.
Tell us in the comments below, do you make your bed every day? If not, how often do you do it?
Written by Leonora Sartori. First appeared on Domain.com.au.
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