IF YOUR girlfriend or wife asks you to not sit on the bed – don’t be offended as there is actually a good reason why it should be avoided.
According to health experts, bacteria can live on your clothes for weeks and even months and then contaminate your sheets.
Think about all of the places you perch during your day, such as seats on public trains or buses, or on park benches.
Your garments will be picking up numerous germs along the way which will transfer to your bed if you hop right in after coming home.
Jason Tetro, microbiology researcher, and author of ‘The Germ Files’ told Healthline: “If you’re on the commuter bus, train, subway, at day care, school, or work you can pick up all sorts of bacteria and possibly viruses and fungi from other people and then bring them home.
“We’ve looked at public transportation and have found MRSA, so it’s possible to get your skin affected while taking public transportation, and then potentially bringing it into the home.”
He said that there is also a “small” risk of picking up Acinetobacter, which is a bacterium that can cause a respiratory infection that leads to pneumonia.
Jason added: “But there have been instances where this can get into something like a pillow. So if you come home after a long day and jump in your bed, and you happen to come into contact with Acinetobacter, you could transfer that to your pillow and then that may end up leaving you with the possibility of inhaling it and then getting sick.”
As well as bacteria being transferred from the outside world to your bed, fleas can also hide in your clothes and shoes.
And it’s not just “outside clothes” that should be avoided near to your pillows and sheets, as even brand new clothes can be rife with germs.
Philip Tierno, MD, director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University revealed to ABC: “Bacteria and organisms can survive weeks or even months on clothes.”
Dermascope shared how this can lead to acne and infected pores, and wrote: “Dirty sheets and dirty clothes can transfer dirt and bacteria into the hair follicle, causing it to clog and become infected.”
Thankfully, you are unlikely to get seriously ill from germs picked up on a day-to-day basis.
If you’re on the commuter bus, train, subway, at day care, school, or work you can pick up all sorts of bacteria and possibly viruses and fungi from other people and then bring them home.
Jason Tetro, microbiology researcher, and author of ‘The Germ Files’
Philip explained: “You’re on public transportation, in your automobile, in other areas where you can pick up germs.
“Lucky for mankind, if you have a normal, stable immune response, you should be able to protect yourself against them.”
However, you may still want to switch into pjs if you want to keep your sheets as sweat-free as possible.
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