How To Sleep If You Have Bed Bugs?

Are you afraid to sleep in your bed because your bed has bed bugs? I bet you are. Anyone would be afraid to sleep in a bed full of bed bugs. So, where should you sleep if you have bed bugs? Our goal is to avoid getting bitten by them until you take more aggressive action, which is essential to getting a good night’s sleep, and in this guide, you’ll find the right answer – where to sleep if you have bed bugs.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs, scientifically known as bed bugs, are small brown insects with flat, oval bodies. Despite their small size, they are visible to the naked eye.

Bed bugs are nocturnal pests that feed on human blood. During the process, they often make painful bite marks that cause skin irritation and itching.

Many insects have a basic appearance similar to bed bugs, including fleas, carpet beetles, and bat bugs. So, you need to know if you’re dealing with bed bugs or other types of insects.

Check for bed bug eggs and their larvae (nymphs). Bed bug eggs are the size of a pinhead and are white, while the nymphs are translucent and grow as they mature.

Bed bugs are “year-round” pests, which means that infestations can occur at any time of the year. However, in summer, they are more active and eat faster.

Why is Sleeping in a Bed with Bed Bugs So Difficult?

You may or may not see bed bugs when you sleep. If you can’t see them, they’re still there, they’re just hiding. You may find it difficult to fall asleep due to anxiety. Bed bugs affect human health in a variety of ways that go well beyond physiology.

Bedbugs don’t bite at first when you’re sleeping. They will wait until the early morning when you will fall into a deep sleep.

Then they will come out to feed one by one. They follow your scent and the warmth you exude. You can’t change anything to stop them from finding you. Then, they each fed for 15 or 20 minutes. Once it’s over, they go back to their port.

Do Bed Bugs Cause A Lack of Sleep?

While we don’t know that bed bugs transmit any disease, they can negatively impact your health and well-being, including the quality of your sleep.

They disrupt sleep primarily by biting, usually between 3 am and 5 am. This is a natural behavior thought to have evolved by evolution.

According to Clinical Microbiology Reviews, bed bugs are photophobic, which means they are repelled by sunlight. So, they make every effort to avoid direct sunlight. This also explains why they like to come out and bite in the darkest hours of the night.

Also, you’re less likely to wake up when stimulated. Essentially, in the early stages of sleep, mild stimuli, such as touch and light, can easily wake you up.

Early in the morning, however, you’re in stages 3-4 of sleep (REM sleep), which means bed bugs can bite you without waking you up.

How To Sleep With Bed Bugs

To sleep with bed bugs in your bed, you’ll need to vacuum, clean, or steam your mattress, bed frame, headboard, and box spring. You’ll also want to wrap the mattress to prevent bed bugs hiding in the mattress from biting you.

Let’s look at five steps to prepare your bed for bed bugs before going to bed.

• Wear almost full-body clothing to prevent bed bug bites

This is a proven fact. Bed bugs bite without clothing.

We all want to sleep comfortably, and during the summer months, many sleep in fewer clothes.

But when you live with bedbugs, you don’t have that freedom.

Because bed bugs will bite you. Bed bugs can bite anywhere on your body they can reach, except for hairy areas.

So, make sure you’re wearing pajamas that cover your legs down to your ankles and wear a lightweight full-sleeve top or t-shirt.

You can rub peppermint essential oil on your palms, ankles, and neck so that it will repel and prevent bugs from these areas from biting you. If there are bed bugs, this is one of the ways to get rid of bed bugs in your body.

• Cover Mattress with Mattress Wrap

Mattress packaging is a lifesaver when it comes to stopping bed bugs from biting you.

This is because the mattress wrap keeps bed bugs from getting into your skin. In addition, mattress packaging will trap bed bugs hidden in the mattress.

But after using a steam cleaner, the chances of having live bed bugs in your mattress are low.

The mattress shell is easy to place on the mattress. They come with zippers and can be chosen according to the size of the mattress.

Even if your bed is king, you’ll get a mattress wrap.

But there is a spoiler.

Mattress packaging won’t suffocate bed bugs. If there are bed bugs under the mattress wrap, they will be alive.

Bed bugs can go months without a blood meal.

But best of all, bed bugs from the rest of your home won’t be able to infest your bed because the mattress wraps around it.

• Use a Bed Bug Blocker to Prevent Bed Bugs from Entering Your Body

Professional bed bug exterminators place bed bug interceptors in various parts of the home to detect live bed bugs left behind after treatment.

You can also use a bug blocker like a pro.

Interceptors tell you that after treatment, you have bed bugs in your home, and they also act as snares.

Once the bugs land in the interceptor, they cannot escape.

The best way to use the interceptor is to place it under the four legs of the bed.

This is because the legs of the bed are in contact with the ground. If bed bugs want to crawl around you, their only option is legs.

So while you’re in a deep sleep, the bug blocker will catch all the bugs that try to approach you from the rest of your home.

• Put something on you that will repel bed bugs

There are many things you can use on your skin to repel bed bugs. These things can keep bed bugs from biting you.

Vicks vaporub and certain essential oils are effective insect repellants.

• Steam Clean Your Mattress to Kill Hidden Bed Bugs

Let’s face it, bedbugs are sneaky and hard to spot. In your bed, bed bugs can hide in the thinnest crevices, crevices, and even the edges of your mattress.

These bed bugs show up in your deep sleep, bite you, and eat your blood meal.

The best way to stop this from happening is steam cleaning. Honestly, steam cleaners are the best but most underrated bug killer you can have.

Because steam cleaners generate heat, the heat kills bed bugs. Heat is such an effective killer, it kills adult bed bugs, and bed bug nymphs and destroys bed bug eggs!

So the first thing to do before you sleep on a bed with bed bugs is to steam your bed with a steam cleaner.

Before that, remove the sheets and comforter from the bed. And pillows.

Then slowly stream the entire mattress, making sure to cover every inch of the mattress, including the side seams.

Steam clean the bed frame, headboard (if any), and box springs.

Steam cleaning will ensure that all bed bugs, baby bed bugs (which bite more than adult bed bugs) and bed bug eggs are removed.

When you’re done, put the accessories back on the bed. It is best if the bedding is fresh and clean.

Vacuum cleaning is also an option, but not as effective as steam cleaning. Other than that, vacuuming won’t destroy bedbug eggs.

Also, if you vacuum the mattress, it will be an everyday task. This can get tedious.

Instead, if you use a steam cleaner, you can do it every 3-4 days.

This is because the carbon dioxide you exhale attracts bed bugs and other biting bugs, such as mosquitoes and mites. If these bugs are in your home, they will be attracted to you while you sleep.

Bed bugs are usually 6 to 8 feet away from where they eat blood. Despite cleaning your bed, they can quickly infest your bed again.

So, it’s a good idea to steam or vacuum your bed before you go to bed until you’ve cleaned out the bed bugs in your home.

Pro tip: Wipe down the bed frame with a cloth dampened with white vinegar. White vinegar repels bed bugs. But white vinegar has a pungent smell. Use it only if you can stand the smell.

Will Bed Bugs Bite If You Sleep With The Lights On?

It’s a common misconception that bedbugs won’t bite you if you sleep with the lights on.

Bed bugs are nocturnal pests, which means they are nocturnal and hide during the day in the tiniest cracks and crevices in your home.

Unless they’ve been starving, their foraging activity occurs at night, and they rarely care if the lights are on.

All they need is a still human exhaling carbon dioxide in deep sleep so they can track their scent and bite them.

Can You Sleep In Bed After Bed Bug Treatment

You can. But only bed bug exterminators will tell you exactly that after a few hours.

In most cases, exterminators recommend that you sleep in bed 4-5 hours after treating bed bugs.

However, after treating bed bugs, be sure to use a mattress wrap before going to bed.

Bed bugs are difficult pests to kill. Some of them came out of hiding after being treated in bed for hours.

That’s why every reliable bed bug exterminator will do a follow-up inspection of your home to see if any bed bugs are alive.

What Kills Bed Bug Instantly?

Alcohol rubs and insect repellent sprays are instant insecticides. But we don’t recommend using them.

There are two reasons for this. First, it is not safe for you to sleep in a bed that has been sprayed with either of these drugs.

Second, they have no residual toxicity. This means you need to spray directly on the bed bugs to kill them.

It won’t kill other bugs you miss.

So, is it wise to use bug bombs, repellent spray, and alcohol to wipe down bed bugs? No, it’s not.

Bug bombs cannot deal with small bugs like bed bugs and fleas. Studies show that they make things worse.

Instead, using steam cleaners on your mattresses, sofas, rugs, and rugs is a more effective insect-killing process than any mosquito-repellent spray.

Removing a bed bug infestation in your home is an expensive process, but it’s worth it. Most bed bug exterminators will use heat treatment if the infestation is severe, or if a combination of insecticide treatment and heat treatment is used.

But if you’re on a tight budget, you can check out our post on how to get rid of bed bugs a tight budget for some effective but inexpensive ways to get rid of bed bugs.

Final Answer

If you have a bed bug infestation in your bedroom, it’s not wise to move to another room to sleep in because the bed bugs will follow you.

Remember, bedbugs are good at hitchhiking, so they may grab your clothes and move to a new sleeping place with you.