If you often struggle with itchy skin or red spots when you wake up, then your bed is likely to have unwanted visitors.

Each of us has experienced quite a few mosquito bites …

Especially in the summer months it can happen that the little bloodsuckers haunt us at night and we wake up with itchy stitches.

  • However, some sleepers are also plagued by unpleasant skin irritations in the winter months, which occur particularly often after a night in bed.
  • If you suffer from red spots, small itchy spots or painful bites even without mosquitoes , other insects are mostly to blame.

The most common cause: bed bugs!

The small insects make themselves comfortable in children’s mattresses , pillows and under the covers and come out at night to sting their sleeping victims.

  1. They prefer to suck the blood in the face, arms or neck – a few hours after the bite, the affected area then becomes inflamed and uncomfortable itching occurs.
  2. Even worse: bed bugs usually appear in groups and then attack their victim together. After a bug infestation, it is not uncommon for innumerable small reddenings to appear.
  3. If the problem is dragged on, a sweet, unpleasant smell spreads in the bedroom, which comes from the droppings and other body fluids of the bed bugs.

If you have itchy bites after sleeping, you should therefore look very closely and stop any bed bug infestation as early as possible.

Immediate relief against itching after sleeping

You should treat bed bug bites similar to normal mosquito bites: it is best to let the affected area rest and not scratch it.

Cooling ointments or even special remedies against insect bites , which can alleviate the itching and accelerate healing, are also helpful .

You may also be able to sleep in a different bed for the night to rule out allergic reactions or other reasons for the itchy spots.

Recognize bed bugs

In addition to the sweet smell, bed bugs often leave small, black residue on the edge of the bed. If the infestation is not too strong yet, besides bites, they are often the only indication of the unpleasant parasites. Bed bugs can barely be seen with the naked eye.

Get rid of bed bugs permanently

Of course, the above tips are only useful for combating symptoms. The bites themselves won’t go away until you do something about the bed bugs.

As long as your bedroom is not infested with innumerable bugs (which like to lay their eggs in nooks and crannies, hard to reach places) you can often get rid of the little beasts without an expensive specialist.

Basically, temperatures above 55 degrees are enough to kill the parasites. At these temperatures, the metabolism of the bedbugs no longer works properly and they die on their own. It is best to proceed as follows:

Step 1: hot wash the bedding

You probably won’t get rid of the bed bugs themselves, but it won’t hurt to get rid of droppings & other insect fluids from your laundry. And: washing also helps against fleas (if it is these and not the bed bugs that cause the bites).

Step 2: clean the mattress & bedroom

If you have a steam cleaner on hand, you can use it on the hotest setting possible. It is best to also steam through all possible refuge for the bed bugs.

  • Pay particular attention to small cracks, crevices or hard-to-reach places (e.g. behind cupboards).
  • In each of these places, not only the bugs themselves, but also the offspring in the form of eggs can lurk.

There are also various sprays & traps against bed bugs to buy on the Internet . These help fight the unwanted parasites and prevent re-infestation.

Step 3: Help from a specialist

If the above steps are successful, you can go to sleep again without worrying about being woken up by itchy bites.

In the case of a severe infestation with innumerable storage areas for the eggs, the bug problem can reappear after a while. Then you should definitely contact a specialist.

Many municipalities also offer advice centers and can offer you inexpensive recommendations for insect control.

Other reasons for itchy bites after sleeping

Bed bugs are the most common cause of uncomfortable itching, but sometimes other insects can also infest the bed:

  • Fleas, snacks or other animals come out of their hiding places at night and haunt their sleeping victims. Sprays can help here too.
  • In some cases, allergic reactions (e.g. due to pets like cats, pollen or house dust mites) are the trigger for the itchy spots.

 

Allergy bedding can help here, as it can reduce exposure and thus contain the symptoms.

If in doubt, however, you should always consult a doctor – especially if you have already ruled out the most common cause (bed bugs & other parasites).

You can find more tips in our section on better sleep . Here you can also find help on how to furnish your bedroom appropriately .

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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