"Is Making Your Bed in the Morning Counterproductive? Experts Recommend Surprising Bedroom Habits"

Waking up in the morning, opening the curtains, washing your face, and tidying up the bed.

Many people consider this series of actions as the "ideal morning routine."

Smoothing out the wrinkles in the sheets, spreading the duvet neatly, and arranging the pillows. Seeing a bed made like a hotel can make the entire room feel tidier.

However, from a hygiene perspective, completing the bed right after waking up is not always ideal.

An article on bed hygiene introduced by the German media "Merkur" recommends airing out the bedding to dry it instead of covering the bed with the duvet immediately after waking up.

The reason is simple.

The bed we sleep in overnight is more damp in the morning than we might think.

And there are tiny creatures that thrive in that moisture.

Dust mites, known as one of the causes of house dust allergies.

"Moisture" remains in the bed after a night's sleep

Humans sweat even while sleeping.

It's not just a matter of hot summers. To regulate body temperature, moisture is lost from the skin regardless of the season.

The Merkur article mentions that, on average, about 0.5 liters of moisture is lost as sweat overnight.

Of course, not all of it is absorbed by the sheets.

Some are absorbed by pajamas, while others evaporate into the air.

Still, a certain amount of moisture and heat remains in the mattress, sheets, and duvet in the morning.

The problem arises when the duvet is neatly spread immediately afterward.

If you cover the entire bed right away, the evaporation speed of the remaining moisture inside slows down.

Adding thick bed covers or blankets makes it even harder for the moisture inside the bedding to escape.

This brings attention to the relationship between mites and humidity.

Mites prefer a "warm, humid environment"

Dust mites that inhabit bedding are so small that they are almost invisible to the human eye.

They mainly feed on skin flakes shed by humans and live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, and upholstered furniture.

The important thing is that mites need moisture.

Mites do not drink water from a cup like humans. They absorb moisture from the surrounding air to survive.

Allergy literature summarizing mite ecology points out that maintaining moisture becomes easier when the relative humidity is generally above 50%.

In other words, a warm and humid bed easily becomes a comfortable environment for mites.

During sleep, the inside of the duvet warms up due to body temperature, and humidity rises due to sweat.

If you spread the duvet immediately in the morning, you may maintain that environment to some extent.

Therefore, experts recommend drying the bed first instead of completing the "perfect bed-making" right after waking up.

In the morning, "turn over" rather than "tidy up"

The method introduced by Germany's public broadcaster BR is very simple.

When you wake up, instead of covering the entire mattress with the duvet immediately, leave it folded back for a while.

And ventilate the room.

Expose the part where you slept to the air to let the moisture remaining in the sheets, mattress, and duvet escape outside.

There's no need to shake the bed vigorously or use special disinfectants.

The simple act of "drying" becomes important.

A study that has often been cited to support this idea is the research from Kingston University in the UK.

In 2005, a research team led by Stephen Pretlove, who studied the conditions for dust mites in the built environment, modeled the relationship between temperature and humidity inside bedding and the survival conditions of mites.

The research team explained that leaving the bed open during the day could lead to a loss of moisture from the sheets and mattress, creating an environment where mites find it hard to survive.

This topic has been repeatedly reported for about 20 years but has recently gained attention again through social media.

However, saying "not making the bed will eliminate mites" is an exaggeration

There are points to be cautious about here.

"Making the bed is unhealthy"
"Saying not making the bed will kill mites"

is not entirely accurate.

The number of mites is influenced by many conditions, such as room humidity, climate, bedding material, ventilation, washing frequency, and housing environment.

In other words,

"Making the bed = full of mites"

"Not making the bed = clean"

is not a simple binary choice.

Recent expert explanations also point out that while drying the bed by leaving it open has some rationality, it is just one element in the overall mite prevention strategy.

Rather, the important thing for dust mite allergy prevention is to combine room humidity management, regular washing of bedding, and the use of allergen-proof covers on mattresses and pillows.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in the US also recommends combining multiple measures rather than relying on just one method for mite prevention.

In short,

it's not about "banning bed-making in the morning,"

but rather

"there's no need to tidy up in a way that seals in moisture."

This perspective is closer to reality.

On social media, people welcome it as "the perfect excuse"

This topic often becomes popular on social media.

 

Especially on the overseas forum Reddit, a post stating "you shouldn't make your bed immediately after waking up" has garnered numerous reactions.

In a thread posted in 2025, the idea of waiting 1-2 hours before making the bed to dry the bedding received thousands of supportive responses.

Among them,

the humorous reaction was, "Now I have a new reason to postpone making the bed in the morning."

For those who have been told "not making the bed = lazy," the hygiene reason is very convenient.

Another user commented,

"I don't feel the need to make the bed every day in the first place."

"Isn't it more important to wash sheets and pillowcases frequently?"

These opinions were also shared.

In fact, this last point is quite important.

Tidying up the appearance and keeping the bedding itself clean are separate actions.

No matter how beautifully the duvet is arranged, if the sheets haven't been washed for weeks, it's hard to call it hygienic.

Conversely, even if the duvet is a bit messy, if it's properly ventilated, washed, and dried, you can manage the hygiene.

There are reasons for those who still make their bed every morning

On the other hand, there are also many voices supporting bed-making on social media.

In a discussion on Reddit in 2026,

responses included "completing one task in the morning gives a sense of accomplishment,"

"a tidy room feels better,"

and "I like getting into a neatly made bed at night."

This cannot be ignored.

A survey conducted in the US by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who make their bed every day or almost every day reported sleeping better than those who don't.

However, this does not demonstrate a causal relationship that making the bed improves sleep quality.

There may be other factors, such as people with regular lifestyles being more likely to make their bed.

Still, the feeling that "a tidy space is more calming" is a realistic benefit for many people.

That's why there is a way to balance hygiene and appearance.

The answer is not "right away in the morning" but "make it later"

There's no need to complete the bed immediately after waking up.

However, there's also no need to leave it messy all day.

For example, in the morning,

fold back the duvet significantly.

Open the curtains.

Ventilate the room.

Check the humidity in the bedroom if possible.

Then have breakfast and get ready.

After that, once the bedding has dried to some extent, you can tidy up the bed.

This method satisfies those who are conscious of hygiene and those who like a tidy bedroom.

In fact, there are people on social media who say they leave the duvet open in the morning and tidy it up before going to bed.

They consider bed-making not as the first task of the day but as part of the bedtime routine.

This might be a surprisingly rational method.

What really matters is not "whether you made the bed"

More important than bed-making in keeping bedding clean is regular washing.

The Merkur article suggests that for many people, changing bedding such as sheets every 1-2 weeks is a guideline.

For those who sweat easily, during hot and humid seasons, or when sleeping with pets, more frequent changes may be necessary.

Additionally, for the purpose of dust mite allergy prevention, medical and public health institutions often recommend washing bedding about once a week.

Another often overlooked item is the pillow itself.

While you might feel safe washing the pillowcase, the cover is not a complete waterproof barrier.

Sweat and sebum gradually transfer inside.

If it's a washable type of pillow, it's important to wash it regularly according to the product's instructions and dry it thoroughly.

The same applies to mattresses.

Although they are under the sheets and may not appear dirty, skin flakes and dust accumulate over long periods of use.

Regularly cleaning the mattress surface and rotating it, depending on the product, can also help prevent sagging in one area.

"Clean" and "looks clean" are different

What makes this topic interesting is our unconscious belief that

"tidy = clean."

When we see a bed with wrinkle-free sheets and a symmetrically placed duvet, it feels clean.

Conversely, when the duvet is turned over, some people can't help but feel it's "untidy."

However, hygiene cannot be judged by appearance alone.

The act of tidying up the bed itself does not have the effect of removing dirt.

It has a different purpose from washing or cleaning.

In fact, especially right after waking up, including the step of "releasing heat and moisture" before completing the visual beauty is more reasonable for the bedding environment.

In that sense,

it's not about "not making the bed in the morning."

It's about "first drying the bed in the morning."

Thinking this way might change how you view a turned-over duvet.

Especially in hot and humid seasons, it's important to be mindful of humidity management

This habit is particularly valuable in regions like Japan, where humidity tends to be high.

During the rainy season or summer, opening the windows doesn't necessarily dry the interior.

On days when the outside humidity is very high, ventilation might actually let moisture in.

Therefore, instead of "just opening the windows," it's important to manage the indoor humidity itself using air conditioning dehumidifiers or dehumidifiers.

For mite prevention, maintaining a lower indoor humidity is recommended by multiple expert organizations.

Rather than just being satisfied with changing the morning bed-making routine,

dry the bedding.

Manage indoor humidity.

Wash sheets and pillowcases regularly.

Use anti-mite covers if necessary.

Combining these measures is more practical.

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