Experts warn that you shouldn’t be making your bed every morning - here's why

We’ve always been told that one of the best habits to maintain is to make your bed every morning, in order to start the day off on the right foot. However, mattress experts are now suggesting that this supposedly productive task might not actually be the best thing to do when you first wake up if you want to keep your best mattress in top condition.

Why? The reason lies in the fact that as we sleep, we lose lots of fluid (e.g sweat) - around 285ml per night, according to The Sleep Council. This means that when we pull our duvets up to our pillows, we’re essentially locking in all of that moisture. And there are a few reasons that may not be the right move.

Making bed every morning warning

Martin Gill, mattress expert and MD of retailer And So To Bed, explains that, 'By making our beds in the morning we are trapping in that moisture and not allowing it to evaporate, which could lead to issues within the mattress fibres, especially in the warmer months when we sweat more.

'If the moisture isn’t given the opportunity to evaporate - and the mattress isn’t being cleaned - it can breed bacteria and fungi. This means that not only will your mattress not last as long, but it also puts the mattress owner at risk of being exposed to staphylococcus, enterococcus and norovirus, all of which have been discovered to be in dirty mattresses.' Yuck!

As such, leaving your duvet and any bed linen pulled right back to the bottom of the bed is a much better option, to allow your sheets and mattress to breathe after a long night of sleep.

If you can’t bear the thought of leaving your bed unmade for too long though, the experts advise that after a little while, you can safely make it again.

Gill explains, 'After a few hours of being aired out it should be okay to make your bed. In the summer months we will lose more fluid, so airing out may require a little longer than in cooler months. Make sure you open the window too, to allow for air circulation, as this will speed along the process.'

In order to keep your mattress in good condition for as long as possible, mattress experts also advise regularly cleaning your mattress, and other simple tricks such as using a mattress protector, washing your bed linen every two weeks, and blotting at any stains that appear, rather than scrubbing.

We'll be thinking twice before making our beds first thing in the morning next time.