Bed bugs are a nightmare material for many people around the UK and the globe, and we mean this very literally.
These little blood-feeding pests can nest in your mattress, your pillows, and your furnishings. Meanwhile, they will reproduce, cover larger and larger areas, and keep worsening your quality of life until you detect the problem and approach it adequately.
So, how will sleeping in an infested bed affect your well-being, and what are you supposed to do until you find a suitable bed bug treatment method? Let us give you a little guide to prepare you for the situation.
Physical issues when sleeping in an infested bed
Sleeping in a bed with bed bugs will, first of all, result in some purely physical discomforts, such as:
- Bed bug bites, formed in lines or clusters in different uncovered parts of your body;
- Occasional stings and skin soreness both during the night and the day after;
- Mild to severe allergic reactions, including redness, swelling, rashes, and other allergy manifestations.
The repulsive sweet odour of bed bugs might disturb your sleep and also make you feel somewhat uncomfortable, especially if you are still unaware of its origins.
Mental issues when sleeping in an infested bed
Lengthy bed bug infestations are proven to result in a worsened mental state, caused mostly by the prolonged loss of quality sleep. Not long ago, a unique experiment was held among 100 tenants, some of which had bed bugs, and some of which didn’t. It showed pretty indicative results. People who shared a bed with bed bugs were proven to be:
- More prone tolong-term sleep disturbance;
- More prone to general anxietyand further worsening of their previously existing mental conditions;
- More prone to depression andlowered mentally-physical tonus.
These mental disturbances will generally not disappear as soon as the bed bug heat treatment or spray treatment is done. They require a more extended recovery period and plenty of quality rest.
How to approach the situation
As soon as you recognise the issue, you should address it consciously and don’t waste another precious minute.
The most important thing to remember is: sleeping in a bed with bed bugs might be a disgusting thing to do, but you shall stay in one place and avoid sleeping on the couch before the problem is solved. The reason is simple: bed bugs will inevitably come with you and infest any other soft furnishing you spend the night on.
If you have to spend a night or two on an infested bed before a professional bed bug exterminator checks in, you might want to try the following little tricks to prevent bites:
- Keep your lights on during the night. This will keep bed bugs cautious and keep them from unveiling their full rage on you.
- Wear long pyjamas and socks, as you try to cover as much of your body as possible.
- Use a mattress encasementif you have one, to keep bed bugs trapped in.
- Use essential oils or perfume to cover the organic scent of your body that attracts bed bugs.
Receiving professional bed bug treatment will solve your problems in the long run, so do not hesitate to seek expert assistance to recover yourself and your home from the damages done by bed bugs.
