Do You Have Terrible Sleep Hygiene?

[caption id="attachment_829312" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/Young african woman sleeping in her bed at night she is resting with eyes closed[/caption] You may keep a spick and span kitchen, wiping down everything from the refrigerator handle to the knobs on the stovetop. Your bathroom, inherently nasty place as it is, is actually in incredible shape—your guests compliment you on it all of the time. Even the nook where your dog sleeps and keeps his toys is tidy! But if you don’t keep a clean sleep environment, all your hard work is for nothing because you could be messing up your health. You might be thinking, how gross can my bed get? I shower and wash my face before getting in it, and I change out of my clothes and into clean pajamas before touching it. But your sleeping environment isn’t as immune to germs as you think. So, do you have terrible sleep hygiene? Let’s take a look. [caption id="attachment_717237" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Are you taking your makeup off?

If you don’t thoroughly remove your makeup, then you’re just rolling around in foundation, blush, and mascara. This can not only clog up your pores but also get into your eyes and cause an infection.   [caption id="attachment_712871" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Do you keep food by the bed?

Keeping food by the bed only invites insects hoping to mooch off of your snacks. Plus, if food is by your bed then you were likely eating in your bed. Crumbs may have fallen in, and now you’re inviting critters into your sheets.   [caption id="attachment_626578" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Are you cleaning your earplugs?

Your earplugs block out the sound of your partner snoring and your neighbor practicing the violin, but they also clog up your ears. Your ears produce wax and sweat throughout the night, which cakes up on your earplugs. Purchase a sanitizer (you can find these online) and sanitize your earplugs each morning after use. [caption id="attachment_701349" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Are you cleaning your eye mask?

Depending on the position in which you sleep, drool and snot may slide into your sleep mask. If you didn’t get all of your mascara off, then old mascara may be collecting in it, and that could leave your eyes very itchy.   [caption id="attachment_694821" align="alignleft" width="426"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Do you drool?

There may not be much you can do to stop the drooling, but if you are aware of the problem, you should switch your pillowcase every night. At the very least, flip your pillow over, and switch your case every other night so last night’s drool doesn’t sit on your cheek.     [caption id="attachment_694799" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

If you sleep nude, watch your pillows

If you sleep nude, and you like to put a pillow between your legs or under your butt, just keep track of your pillows. You don’t want to accidentally put the one you had between your legs last night under your head tonight, potentially leading to pink eye. [caption id="attachment_607202" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Does your sheet slip off the mattress?

If you move around a lot during the night, you might wake up to find your bottom sheet has moved, revealing some of the mattress. Your mattress carries a lot of bacteria since you can’t wash it like you do your sheets. Get sheets that are big enough to wrap deeply under the mattress, and will cling on well. [caption id="attachment_707726" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Are your pillowcases open-ended?

Stick to pillowcases that you can zip or button up. Open-ended pillowcases usually slide up the pillow, exposing the actual dirty pillow to your face.       [caption id="attachment_612606" align="alignleft" width="378"] Corbis Images[/caption]

Where do you store your pajamas?

It doesn’t matter if you clean your pajamas after every use if you’re storing them on top of your jeans that you only wash every three wears. You just brought the germs from the bus seat to your bed.     [caption id="attachment_710075" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Do you bring your laptop or phone into bed?

And where else does that laptop sit? On coffee tables? On bars? How about your phone? In the cup holder of the treadmill at the gym? Those devices are loaded with bacteria and don’t belong in your bed.   [caption id="attachment_719119" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Is your room climate controlled?

If it’s too warm, you may not notice that you’re developing pools of sweat during the night. Unless you’re cleaning your sheets each night, you’re just leaving germs in your sheets.       [caption id="attachment_824800" align="alignleft" width="420"] Bigstockphoto.com/High Angle View Of Young African Female Janitor Cleaning Hardwood Floor With Vacuum Cleaner[/caption]

Are you vacuuming enough?

The stuff in the carpet doesn’t stay in the carpet; it floats up into the air, and onto your face. Either have a no-shoes rule in the bedroom, or vacuum daily.       [caption id="attachment_829313" align="alignleft" width="420"] Bigstockphoto.com/A lamp with mounted propeller on white background.[/caption]

Are you dusting your ceiling fan?

Your ceiling fan collects a lot of dust. While you’re sleeping, it sends that dust down into your mouth. Make sure you dust up there frequently, especially during the seasons when you actually use it.     [caption id="attachment_608920" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

For midnight pees, do you clean yourself thoroughly?

If you get up to pee in the middle of the night, you just want to get back to bed. This may leave you a little lazy in the wiping department, but you don’t want to bring any urine drops left on your thigh into the bed. [caption id="attachment_620940" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Do you let your dog in the bed?

This is a sensitive subject since you love your pup! But if you must have him in the bed, then purchase hypoallergenic pet wipes and thoroughly clean him off—from nose to toe—before allowing him in.

The post Do You Have Terrible Sleep Hygiene? appeared first on MadameNoire.