Pillows: Soft But Infested with Microbes

A British study found that the pillows are real nests microbes. Wash the pillowcase is not enough to kill germs. A lack of sleep on both ears, you sleep on a bed in microbes. The results of a study by the London National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the Hospital of St. Bartholomew shows that our pillows are home to a multitude of bacteria. If after washing their pillowcases, some like sleeping in a case of cleanliness, they are wrong. Change the shell of the pillow is a "fig leaf". Recently presented at the conference Healthcare Associated Infections 2011 - June 22 in London - in fact, the findings reported after two years of use, over a third of the weight of a pillow is composed of dead skin, bacteria , living and dead mites and mite feces. The authors of the study even found in some cases, Staphylococcus aureus - resistant to antibiotics - viruses (influenza, varicella) and the presence of the famous E.coli.

"A culture medium ideal"

If these results are enough to make one shudder, they do not surprise Dr. Frederic Saldmann. English specialist in hygiene and author of It washes his hands, he explained that in his opinion the pillow "brings to drink with our sweat, our tears and projections of coughing and sneezing.

"Worse, "it provides to eat because we are losing scales of skin every night. And in addition, the zoo can proliferate at ease, thanks to the warmth of our bodies night after night. Our pillow is so cozy and comfortable as well as bacteria develop there "as well as in a Petri dish containing a gelatinous."

What to do?

Change their pillowcases is not sufficient to guarantee the hygiene of his pillows. To ensure that this space does not become the playground of bacteria, so it is recommended to wash regularly - every three months - and change it every year. While a standard fabric lets microbes, Dr. Saldmann remember that there are antibacterial pillowcases and pillows in the sun dry her does not kill the germs that swarm there.