One of the most common reactions to realizing you have bed bugs is an increase in stress. Whether you’re worried about the bugs carrying diseases, the constant itching from the bites, feeling like your most private locations were invaded, or simply being creeped out at the thought of the bugs nearly everyone experiences stress when dealing with the pests.
The good news is that this is okay, and there are resources to help alleviate your problems. The bad news is that the pests are about as annoying as they can be, and as difficult to get rid of as anything on the planet.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, when it comes to bed bugs. In dealing with the pests we reached out to Dr. Stephan Perrone who leads a team of medical researchers at the University of Montreal.
He says that when dealing with bed bugs high levels of stress is so common that it would be “uncommon if someone didn’t have a stress reaction.” Knowing that, take a deep breath, and realize that there is help.
One of the most encouraging signs reported in Dr. Perron’s research is that stress and the associated problems like sleep disturbances disappear almost as quickly as the bugs do.
Dr. Perron reports that stress levels and sleep patterns return to normal within one to three days of the person being removed from the bugs, or the bugs being removed from the living environment.
But what can you do in the meantime? Well one of the best things you can do, according to Dr. Gale Ridge, is take back control over the bed bugs.
One of the biggest issues with bed bugs is that you feel vulnerable in a place you normally feel the safest, your bed. So you need to take steps to take back your bed from the bugs. Start by taking your bedding and putting it in the dryer on a high heat cycle for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Sustained heat kills bed bugs, and sufficiently high levels of heat can even kill the bugs on contact. Secondly, if you have one or can get access to one, use a handheld steam cleaner and methodically go over your bed and bed frame with the steamer.
Bed bugs are good at getting in nooks and crannies and the steam can penetrate the cracks in wood and heat the bugs up to a killing point.
Finally, begin a routine of regularly vacuuming your bed. While you should be cautious about the kinds of vacuums you use (link to vacuuming guide) or how you use the vacuums it can actually be an incredibly effective tool for managing bed bugs.
Regular vacuuming not only gives you control over the situation, it makes the job of extermination much easier!
Utilizing these tips can help you make your bed a refuge (link). You can go from having to deal with the nightmare situation of bed bugs to having a place where you feel safe and protected from them. Not only will this stop the growth of bed bugs, but it can restore peace of mind and help you get a good night’s sleep.
Being proactive when it comes to bed bugs is not only good for your health but is also the right choice on getting you back to a bug-free home.
These steps will help manage the spread of bugs, so you can be sure that they won’t infect anyone else in your house/apartment either.
Finally, you can utilize these strategies for the future in order to prevent a bed bug problem before it starts. Regular upkeep and maintenance are the best things you can do to stop the bed bug menace!