If your wife or girlfriend asks you not to sit on the bed, don’t get offended. She might have a really good reason, especially if you are wearing your outside clothes. After all, your outside clothes have likely been exposed to many public surfaces.
This is an even more scary thought after the p-a-n-d-e-m-i-c. Why would you want those outside clothes touching your bed, a sacred place you go to at night? But does the thought of being grossed out by outside clothes on one’s bed have merit? Let’s take a look.
1. Outside clothes have been everywhere. Literally.
Just take a moment to think about what your outside clothes have touched: subway seats, office chairs, bar stools, elevator walls, park benches … Now think of how many more people have been on those seats! Would you invite them to sit on your bed? After you start noticing what your clothes touch on the streets, you’ll think twice before letting someone’s outside clothes touch your bed.
2. Bacteria cling to the body like glue
Bacteria can live for weeks or even months on your clothes, according to Philip Tierno, MD, director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University. Tierno adds, that even brand-new clothes can still be contaminated with germs, so it’s definitely a good idea to take off the shirt you’ve been walking around for 12 hours in, before sitting on the bed. This rule should apply to your guests as well.
3. Wearing your outside clothes on your bed can cause infections, rashes, acne, and even bring in fleas.
One of the reasons we often see acne on our back and chest is due to greasy clothes, which gather street and office dust, sweat, and dead skin — in general, the human body sheds approximately half a million skin cells and about a liter of sweat daily. And your bed can be a great transportation hub for all that dirt.
4. Your bed is a zone of comfort and safety.
You should be comfortable wrapping yourself in your blanket and hugging your pillow, as it’s a place for you to relax and gain energy. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard advises, for example, to not work in bed and spend time with friends in the kitchen or in the living room instead. So the brain associates the bed with relaxation and comfort, which is a great contribution to healthy sleep.
Needless to say, it’s best to refrain from mixing outside clothes with your bed. Instead, opt to switch to inside clothes once you get home to keep those germs and bacteria at bay.
References: brightside.me, remedydaily.com
