The best time to make your bed depends on what you’re prioritizing—hygiene/health or productivity/mindset
But, science leans toward not doing it immediately after waking up.
From a health perspective (especially if you deal with allergies, asthma, or just want fewer dust mites), the consensus from multiple studies and experts is clear: wait 30–60 minutes (or even 1–2 hours if possible) before making your bed. Here’s why:
- Overnight, you lose moisture through sweat (about 500 ml on average) and breathing, creating a warm, humid environment in your bedding.
- Dust mites (which feed on dead skin and trigger allergies for many people) thrive in that exact warm + damp condition.
- Making the bed right away traps that moisture and heat, helping mites survive and multiply. A famous Kingston University study showed that leaving the bed unmade during the day can cut dust mite populations significantly by letting everything dry out and drop humidity below their happy zone (~50% relative humidity).
- Simple fix: Pull back the covers, fluff pillows, maybe open a window for airflow → let it air out → come back later to make it neatly.
Many sleep/health sources (Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, doctors, and mattress experts) now recommend this delay as a low-effort way to make your sleep setup healthier.
On the flip side, the famous advice to make your bed immediately upon getting up comes from Admiral William H. McRaven’s viral speech and book. He argues it gives you an instant small win, builds discipline, creates momentum for the day, and even gives you a tidy bed to come home to if things go sideways. That’s more about psychology and routine than biology.
So, a practical compromise many people use:
- Right after getting up → throw back the duvet/comforter, pull sheets aside if you can, and let it breathe while you shower, eat breakfast, etc.
- 30–60 minutes later (or when you’re heading out / mid-morning) → go back and make the bed properly.
This way you get most of the health benefit without sacrificing the tidy-room / accomplishment vibe.
If you have bad allergies or live in a humid climate (Portland can be pretty damp!), leaning toward the longer airing-out period makes the most sense. If that’s not a concern for you, making it first thing is still a solid habit for mental clarity.
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