Eczema: More on the dust mite

Dust mites love your mattress because it's the perfect environment for them. It's warm, tends to be moist, and what's more, it's replete with their favorite diet - human skin flakes. The Mayo Clinic estimates that you may be sharing you cozy bed with anywhere from 1 to 10 million of the critters. And though they're microscopic (500 could fit on the head of a pin), they may be causing you big problems.The reason why these tiny creatures are so virulent is that they are a source of allergens. These allergens come from many sources including the dried body parts of the mites themselves and their fecal matter. The typical dust mite excretes 200 times its boy weight in fecal matter.One reason this is such a problem is that mites lack a stomach. So digestion occurs outside their bodies. The mites secrete enzymes and deposit the fungus Aspergillus Repens on dust particles. Then the fungus predigests the food for the mites. The dust mite's partially digested food, and fecal matter make up the most major sources of allergens.The allergens then enter your body at night. As you shift in your sleep, the tiny allergen particles waft into the air and hence into your breathing passage, lungs and ultimately your bloodstream.Perhaps you think you can clean your mattress or change your sheets and they're gone? Unfortunately this is not the case. Dust mites are tenacious creatures and they're very happy just where they are in your mattress or borrowed into any number of items in your home. Standard vacuuming doesn't work. Traditional household or commercial vacuum cleaners don't have the power to suck out the dust mites and their debris from deep in your mattress. Bleaches and strong soaps won't kill them either. So what will work? Fortunately, there are a few things that the mites hate.Extreme temperatures, either high or low, are generally fatal to them. However they reproduce quickly and will soon return. They have a life spans of about 30 days and the female lays up to 300 eggs during that period. Then there's sunlight. Mites hate sunlight because it's a natural form of ultra-violet light, which is harmful to dust mites and their eggs. That's why they like to burrow deep into your mattress where they're safe.