Lazy people, rejoice: There’s a compelling reason not to make your bed first thing in the morning. Yes, you should still make it like a proper grown-up, but consider this your leeway to so a while after you wake up. The argument against immediate bed-making is not new, but it’s also not well-known. In 2005, researchers at Kingston University in the UK released the findings of a 2-year study that suggested that dust mites — up to 1.5 million of which may be living in a bed at any given time — don’t survive as well in the warm, dry conditions created by an unmade bed. Humans sweat a lot overnight, so by making your bed first thing in the morning, you’re trapping all that damp air and helping dust mites/bed bugs breed. Wait about an hour after you wake up to make your bed, no matter what the self-help books say about how making it first thing will spur you to be more regimented and productive. Now, don’t use this new knowledge of mite breeding habits to get off the hook entirely — you should still make your bed.
