Pillows Dangerous for Your Health 444
Roland Piquepaille writes "I guess we shouldn't be surprised by the fact that our pillows are miniature zoos containing millions of fungal spores, with some species able to cause diseases and even death. Researchers at the University of Manchester have studied the fungal contamination of our pillows for the first time in seventy years and discovered that these pillows were hot beds of fungal spores. After dissecting both feather and synthetic pillows in regular use between several months and 20 years, they've "identified several thousand spores of fungus per gram of used pillow -- more than a million spores per pillow."
how do we "treat" this problem? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well as one who has struggled with asthma forever I find this interesting news and could offer potential explanations for the ratcheting up of symptoms when going to bed (always, weird). It would have been nice if the article offered up more ideas about approaches to attenuate the exposure and risk of the fungi. For those who scanned, the best and only tidbit I could find in the entire article was this indirect advice: " Fortunately, hospital pillows have plastic covers and so are unlikely to cause problems, ..."
Re:20 years? (Score:5, Interesting)
Wrap 'em (Score:5, Interesting)
I would imagine that would go a long way towards reducing fungus and other pillow-dwellers.
Re:Not that we Shouldn't Use Pillows. (Score:3, Interesting)
Warning, IANAPE - Pillow Expert
You mean we can buy MORE, now? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:how do we "treat" this problem? (Score:5, Interesting)
As for bleach, try hanging your bedding in the sun. It works great and costs nothing.
The feather pillow (Score:4, Interesting)
It's Horacio Quiroga's short story The Feather Pillow.
http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a0568.pdf [horrormasters.com]
So much for fungal spores...try this and you will throw your pillow out the window (or buy synthetics, like the one I have
Maybe I'm jaded... but I couldn't care less (Score:3, Interesting)
I read this article and then hugged my old pillow.
Next thing you know, I'm gonna read an article that says "OMG OMG STOP EVERYTHING.. There's fungi in cheese!"
Re:witchcraft (Score:3, Interesting)
I will probably die of a traffic accident, cancer or (my favorite) old age. A stupid spore is no match for my immune system. If I'm sleeping with them every night, they are most probably well known to the immune system, I trust it will take care of any intruders.
microwave you pillow (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:20 years? (Score:5, Interesting)
Frack pillows. Stuffed animals are made of similar construction. How many of us have grandma's first stuffed animal in their child's crib. My mother-in law had this elephant. My wife had it as a child. Now our oldest child is the new keeper of the elephant. People throw pillows because they have little emotional investment in them. The same isn't true for our beloved animal shaped pillows/stuffed animals.
Re:20 years? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:20 years? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:how do we "treat" this problem? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I certainly hope you're joking (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I prefer to think of it (Score:2, Interesting)
They followed kids from German farms (where allergies* are less common) and kids from cities (where allergies are more common). One difference was the kids from the country side were exposed more to fecal matter and other "dirty substances" from farm animals, whereas city kids had a tendency to live in much more antiseptic enviroments.
The conclusion was that the human immune system, much like everything else about us, needs to be exercised to properly develop. This seems to be critical at a young age.
So, I think there is something to what you say -- we're actually hurting ourselves (in more ways than just creating resistant bacteria) by obsessing with living in a totally antiseptic enviroment.
*allergies, of course, are nothing more than a malfunctioning immune system, which is over reacting to pollen, etc.
Re:Plastic covers... (Score:3, Interesting)
As I've grown up, I've started questioning the fundamentals of beds and beddings. First off - "soft is good." I went through a period of sleeping on the floor. So long as I had a layer of the duvet between me and the carpet I actually found it quite easy to sleep on the floor. For the sake of company, I've now gone back to beds, but I need to have the hardest matresses available, otherwise I feel like something's trying to eat me. My back always feels a little off in the morning if I sleep on a soft matress. Not using a bed also saves on a lot of floor space in studio apartments. You just roll up your duvet(s) and you're done.
Sleeping without a pillow feels odd at first, but you quickly get used to it and now, sleeping with a pillow can make my neck ache a little in the morning. Sleeping on your side requires one, but on your front doesn't and on your back is definitely better without. I'm seriously considering trying one of those wooden blocks the old japanese use.