TOP SLEEP FACTS

• Approximately one - third of your life is spent sleeping. The length and quality directly affects your performance, so if you are not using quality bedding then you may not be living to your full potential. 

• Anything less than 5 minutes to fall asleep at night means you may be sleep deprived. The ideal time it takes to fall asleep is between 10-15 minutes, meaning you are still tired enough to sleep deeply but not so exhausted you feel sleepy during the day. 

• A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year.

• Teenagers need as much sleep as small children (about 10 hrs) while those over 65 need the least of all (about six hours). For the average adult aged 25-55, eight hours is considered optimal.

• To drop off we must cool off; body temperature and the brains sleep-wake cycle are closely linked. That's why hot summer nights can cause a restless sleep. The blood flow mechanism that transfers core body heat to the skin works best between 18 and 30 degrees. But later in life, the comfort zone shrinks to between 23 and 25 degrees - one reason why older people have more sleep disorders.

• Exposure to noise at night can suppress immune function even if the sleeper doesn’t wake. Unfamiliar noise, and noise during the first and last two hours of sleep, has the greatest disruptive effect on the sleep cycle.

• REM sleep occurs in bursts totalling about 2 hours a night, usually beginning about 90 minutes after falling asleep.

• Tiny luminous rays from a digital alarm clock can be enough to disrupt the sleep cycle even if you do not fully wake. The light turns off a "neural switch" in the brain, causing levels of a key sleep chemical to decline within minutes.

• As a group, 18 to 24 year-olds deprived of sleep suffer more from impaired performance than older adults.

• Ten per cent of snorers have sleep apnoea, a disorder which causes sufferers to stop breathing up to 300 times a night and significantly increases the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

• Snoring occurs only in non-REM sleep

• After five nights of partial sleep deprivation, three drinks will have the same effect on your body as six would when you've slept enough.

• Some studies suggest women need up to an hour's extra sleep a night compared to men, and not getting it may be one reason women are much more susceptible to depression than men.

DUSTMITE FACTS

• Invisible to the human eye, dust mites measure just 1/100 to 1/64 of an inch with transclucent bodies. Depending on their species, mites live for approximately 30 to 100 days, laying eggs and secreting about 10 to 20 waste particles per day.

• It takes at least a 10x magnification to be able to correctly identify them. 

• Freezing: Placing items such as pillows or stuffed toys in a freezer can also help kill dust mites. Enclose the items in plastic first, freeze for 24 to 48 hours, then vacuum or hand-wash items to remove dust mite bodies and by-products.

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to dust mites can trigger asthma in children who have not previously exhibited asthma symptoms.

• Typical dust mite allergy symptoms include: Sneezing, runny nose, irritated eyes, skin irritation and Asthma symptoms.

• Thread counts above 230 will help form a barrier to allergens. A fabric's pore size should be smaller than 10 microns to resist dust mites.

• Studies estimate dust mite waste comprises between 10 and 25% of a pillow's weight after a year or two of use. A study reported in the British Medical Journal in 1996 found that polyester fibre pillows actually contained more grams of fine dust than feather pillows.

• A favourite food of the dust mite is dander (both human and animal skin flakes). Humans shed about 1/5 ounce of dander (dead skin) each week.

• About 80 percent of the material seen floating in a sunbeam is actually skin flakes.

Control and sanitation methods for House Dust Mites

• The most effective means is to enclose the mattress top and sides with a plastic cover or other dust mite imperviuos cover, thoroughly vacuuming mattress pillows and the base of the bed. Put an airtight plastic or polyurethane cover over your mattress. 

• Wash your sheets, pillows and blankets in very hot water.  Wash the sheets and blankets at least every two weeks. Wash your pillow every week or put a dust mite-proof cover on it and wash once per year. Your pillowcase goes over the dust mite cover.  How hot is hot? The water used to wash your sheets and blankets should be at least 130°F (54°C). So set your washing machine to it's hottest setting.  For fabrics that may not be washed in hot water; just pop it into the freezer for 24 to 48 hours to kill dust mites. 

• Use Synthetic fabrics: Replace feather and down pillows with those having synthetic fillings. Replace woolen blankets with nylon or cotton cellulose ones. And don't forget the children's stuffed animals: be sure to get washable stuffed animals in the future! (Please view anti-alleregy products on my website)

• Reduce temperature and humidity: 
  Temperature: Keep the thermostat in the house below 70˚C.
  Humidity: Effective control of mites would require the maintenance of relative humidity's below 50 percent. 

• Remove carpeting and install laminate flooring, wood, tile, linoleum, or vinyl floor covering. Remove cloth drapes and blinds. (If you have carpet, hoover every day.) Hoovering your carpets and upholstery every week can help. 

• While it is better to stop the dust mite at the source reducing the dust levels in the air is a good secondary measure so use a good air filter to remove airborne alergens.  You should also look for a filter that has anti-microbial properties, to prevent the filter from becoming a breeding ground for allergens.   Filters that call themselves "washable" should be avoided because it just is not possible to wash 100% of the biological contaminants out of them and they will also become a breeding ground.