Pillows

Seldom, the things that seem harmless such as pillows cloak a pandemonium of microbial mischief – in translation: pillows can house a spread of fungal spores. Whether the former statement is an exaggeration about the seriousness of having fungus staring us in the face, literally, scientists did have a good find.

Fungi In Pillows

If it's not enough that science had already forewarned us of the nasty fact that microscopic dust mites inhabit those comfortable cushions which we lay our heads on during sleep, a recent study at the University of Manchester found out about another gross-out – that fungi are an addition to the vermin population.

A team of scientists studied five synthetic pillows and five down pillows that were regularly used for one-and-a-half to 20 years. After examining the pillows, the researchers reported that each pillow (regardless of length of time of use) carried a host of 16 different fungi.

One of the most logical reasons why fungi thrive on pillows is because of the moist. Scientists say humans secrete about 100 liters of sweat in the course of one year and the pillows absorb them. People don't normally wash their pillows whether throw pillows and decorative pillows, or the pillows we use in beds – it is the pillow shams and bed covers that are.

Although this study gave new findings about the reality of pillows, this is nothing new. The said study took inspiration from a 1936 study, which found out that pillows grow fungi. There seems to be a microscopic ecosystem thriving in the pillows that constitute dust mites, fungi, and humans (who supply the moist).

However, the research did not suggest that we throw all our beddings out to avoid a spark of allergic or asthma attacks. For normal people, the finding poses no risks but for those with respiratory disease, the fungi could significantly pose a risk especially on patients with weak immune systems. The effects of the presence of fungi in pillows in susceptible people are yet to be studied but hopefully this will come in the near future.

On the other hand, having fungi on our pillows is not all bad. In fact, these fungi can even help strengthen the immune systems for normal people by exposing the body to harmless intruders. Everyone has questions in there heads such as would it make any difference if they change from down (feather) pillows to synthetic but the truth is that although down pillows carry plenty of fungi, synthetic pillows house more different types of fungi.

Pillows And Posture

Another fact about pillows, which was out of the study's scope, is pillows help in maintaining a good posture. Have you tried sleeping without a pillow or laying your head on an oversized one? The contrast gives one end-result, an uncomfortable sleeping position.

We all know how important sleep is in helping the body restore energy from the labors of the previous day but how much do we know about the role of pillows in sleep? When sleeping on your side, for instance, it's important to put a pillow between your knees to keep the spine in its upright position and reduce back pain. If there were no support in between the legs, the pelvis will be pulled downwards to where the leg rotates.

On the lighter side of things (and to give pillows a break), different types of pillows such as throw pillows also known as couch pillows, decorative pillows, or quilted pillows serve as accents to a room. Pillows can complement to a room's décor and help change the mood in an instant, without additional expense. This is possible so long as its colors complement or are in the same hue as the pieces of furniture.

When you take care of pillows, you also take care of yourself. After all, they're the ones you cuddle with – pillow colors help brighten your mood and as for clean pillows? They keep the fungi away.