The Effects of Eating in Bed

With the increasing availability of TV shows and movies wherever you are, even without a TV, watching a movie or binge-watching a series from the comfort of your own bed is becoming an increasingly common habit. And of course, no watching session is complete without movie snacks.
 
But just what are the effects of eating in bed? Well, eating in bed could be creating an unsanitary and unhygienic sleeping space as it turns out.
 
Most of us know that we should wash our dishes after eating, but in many cases, we eat in bed and the forget to take our dishes away, or simply leave them until we next go to the kitchen - which could be the next morning! That leaves a lot of time for germs and bacteria to develop and create an unhygienic bedroom area.
 
It's also incredibly easy to lose track of the remnants of snacking that make it into the folds of our sheets or depths of your mattress. Leaving crumbs and even the smallest pieces of food can attract a range of different bugs to your bed from ants to cockroaches. Although you may think you've been careful and avoided dropping any food between the sheets, cockroaches only need a small amount of food to survive, so it's better that you don't run the risk at all.
 
Eating in bed can impact more than just the cleanliness of your room. It could also have a number of medical effects which impact your ability to get a good night's sleep.
 
In particular, if you opt to eat foods that are highly acidic, spicy or full of garlic can lead to an increased risk of heartburn and prevent a good night's sleep. This is because when you lie down, the intensity of your heartburn increases compared to when you are sitting up. Over a longer period of time, chronic heartburn can lead to a deterioration of your esophagus, which can lead to series health concerns.
 
Potentially one of the most concerning effects of eating in bed is the increased risk of developing sleeping disorders like insomnia. Eating in bed and indulging in too many late night snacks is one of the big risk factors for making insomnia worse, so if you really want to eat something before bed, opt for a small bowl of whole grain cereal with unsweetened milk and no added sugar. This creates a calming combination and can help you unwind before bed. Just make sure you eat your snack away from the bedroom to help keep it clean!

So what can you do to keep your bed clean?

If you really can't resist eating in bed, make sure you choose foods that produce few crumbs or are less likely to leave remnants amongst your sheets. But remember, this shouldn't be an excuse to pick up a bag of solid, boiled sweets! These sweet treats might leave fewer crumbs, but their high sugar content won't do your sleep any good. In fact, you could find yourself lying awake far more at night if you opt for sugary foods, meaning you may be tempted into snacking even more. This can lead to issues with gaining weight, as well as negatively impacting your sleep and so should really be avoided. The packaging of these foods is also likely to attract insects such as flies and ants if not cleared away properly.
 
Ideally, you should be washing your bed sheets on a regular basis, with most people recommending a weekly wash. But if you find that you are regularly snacking or eating in bed you might want to make sure you put your sheets through the wash a little more often. Three days should really be the longest you go between washes if you regularly find yourself eating in bed. But remember, your sheets are the only sources of bacteria and leftover crumbs of food. Make sure to give your entire bedroom a good clean if you're a regular snacker. Loose pieces of food could easily get into the fabric of your carpets or soft furnishings and it's very easy to lose any wrapping of packaging behind your headboard or bedside cabinets. Don't be afraid of getting your vacuum out on a regular occasion and cleaning the floor around your bed to get rid of any hidden crumbs that could leave you at risk of an insect invasion. You could also pull out some of your lighter pieces of furniture and clean behind them, just to make sure no food wrappings have wedged themselves into tight hiding places.

Of course, the best way to keep your bedroom clean and avoid an invasion of insects is simply to keep food away from your bedroom in the first place. To help remove this temptation, remove all your electronic devices from the room, this removes the temptation to have a movie session in bed. In removing any outside temptations from your bedroom, you keep it as a sacred place for relaxation which will help you get a good night's sleep more often and reduce the risk to sleep disorders such as insomnia.

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