You always thought your parents never allowed you to eat in bed because of the mess. But did you know it's not just stray crumbs which you should be worried about. But eating in bed has several nasty consequences which might affect your health.
Experts also agree that we really ignore our sleep health, which is exactly what it sounds like. We never pay attention to how healthy our sleep patterns are or if we are sleeping in the right position. Not eating in beds is also a branch of healthy bed habits. So why exactly shouldn't we eat in beds?
One of the biggest reasons to not eat in bed is, of course, the small food particles. Especially if your bed or mattress is extra foamy the small crumbs actually accumulate in crevices and it obviously makes for a really unhygienic area. The worst thing is that you mostly tend to ignore the dust and probably sleep there itself.
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You probably know that food particles however small, turn and gets spoilt. Same goes for grease and stains and liquids which tend to smell, which is of course not ideal. If you have a big bed, crumbs often don't fall over or go anywhere. Since most people don't dust their beds at all the crumbs are a hazard.
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A report in the Esquire states that we must change our sheets once a month at least. But for a healthier pattern we must change our sheets once a week. Some experts advocate changing sheets every other day but of course, that's a hassle for most people.
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Changing bed sheets is not just about food crumbs or stains. When we sleep on a bed our body passes gas and other germs which stay on the sheets. Unless we clean or change our sheets on a regular basis we sleep amidst the germs and that obviously makes for a dangerous lifestyle choice.
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Besides the mess, the crumbs and food particles also attract bugs and roaches. These insects often inhabit the space and find their way to your pillows. Needless to say, bug-infested pillows are a huge health hazard. The germs also can't be good for your pets.
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Recently Food & Wine Magazine did a piece where they revealed that when we eat on the bed we get distracted. And when we're not paying attention to what we are eating we tend to overeat. This is obviously very unhealthy and people are often advised to not keep themselves otherwise occupied when they are eating a meal.
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The National Sleep Foundation says that eating in bed, or right before bed, especially carbs or heavy stuff can actually make you lose sleep. If you must snack or are hungry, get out of bed, grab a healthy portion of snacks like a bowl of cereal or some nuts. Interestingly, some cereal and milk can also help you sleep better.
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One of our worst habit is eating on the bed while watching TV. Just because it's all so convenient. But if the experts are to be believed this is a strict no-no. You can't distract yourself with television as this will definitely lead you to eat more than you should.
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Experts have also asked people to not engage in any activity except sleeping in their beds. What happens is when we eat drink or watch TV on our beds we start associating beds with tasks or habits other than sleeping. This is not healthy. Traditional lifestyle experts still believe that a bed is meant to be a place to de-stress and rest.
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Obese people should avoid eating in beds as they stop paying attention to their portions and thus eat more than they need to. These make their eating habits worse and obviously makes them overweight.
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People who suffer from asthma should avoid eating in bed, and eating right before bed, as it causes symptoms of acid reflux like wheezing and coughing. This can lead to a terrible stress on their nervous systems and other medical complications.
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If you eat foods that are high on acid, right before going to bed it can cause heartburn and discomfort. When you lie down to sleep heartburn gets worse and it can turn into a serious medical issue. This is one of the major reasons why eating in bed and right before going to bed is strictly prohibited.
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Statistics have shown that most of the eating we do in bed is stress eating or emotional eating, and not necessary eating. And emotional eating leads to overeating and is a strict no-no for chronic eaters.
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Besides keeping food crumbs out, you also must make sure your sheets are changed every week. Most millennials have said that they are just too lazy to regularly change sheets or even clean them and this could lead to a serious health issue.
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You will find all sizes of bed dusters in the market, and you should definitely invest in one of those. Even if you can’t change your sheets, you must dust your sheets and pillows before you go to bed every night.
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