Sleep and asthma

4) What you can try

Teddy bear in the freezer

Teddy in the freezer

Nobody can ever get rid of dust mites completely. The latest research shows there is very little that is effective in removing or reducing dust mites.

Some people with asthma have found attempts to reduce dust mites by house cleaning may help but so far this is not proven. If you want to try here are some things that you can do to try to cut down dust in the bedroom:

  • Dust using a damp cloth for all surfaces in the bedroom every day or so.
  • Vacuum the mattress and floors.
  • Change and wash all bed linen once a week.

There is no evidence that buying expensive air filters, ionisers, mattress covers ,washing soft toys or putting them in a  freezer would work.

British Thoracic Society/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline 153: British Guideline on Management of Asthma [pdf].