We thought we knew all the rules of good sleep for babies and also those to strengthen their immune systems, but the University of Copenhagen has opened a debate on a new question: really changing children's bed sheets frequently is so necessary. ? According to the study, in addition to ensuring a peaceful sleep, it also serves to keep the ecosystem of microorganisms and dust mites intact inside their beds. The study, which is called "Environmental shaping of the bacterial and fungal community in infant bed dust and correlations with the airway microbiota", speaks of children's bed mites: benefits real or not? According to the researchers, the answer is positive: direct contact with everything that can be nestled between pillows and sheets would in fact train the immune system of children, helping them against allergies and asthma.
Read also: Allergies, the decalogue for allergic children
Children's bed mites: real benefits or not?
The researchers who have carried out this research on the correlation between bed mites and the immune system of children have found that the link is, in particular, between the bacteria of the two environments: those of the bed and those of the child himself. The correlation they analyzed suggests that microorganisms in the folds of the sheets can reduce the risk of suffering from asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases when they are adults.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Biology at the Asthma Center in Copenhagen, involved the cots of 577 babies. At the moment it is one of the most important studies on the subject, carried out in a center that treats children's respiratory diseases and their allergies. Experts explained that there is a real link between bacteria that lurk, invisible, in the bed linen and those that live in children's bodies. While they are not from the same family of bacteria, the research is interesting because it confirms that this type of organism affects its peers, even with positive health effects.
So is it necessary to change the sheets so often?
Given the results of this massive study, it is clear that the answer, for these researchers, is no: if the child lives with a diverse array of organisms including bacteria, his immune system will be more likely to fight on equal terms. threats from external agents. 930 different types of bacteria and fungi were found in the beds of the sieved children, all well sheltered in the dust that often lurks in the sleeping room. In country houses, this presence has almost tripled compared to children living in the city.
And not only that: the researchers also found in older siblings (who carry diseases and bacteria from environments other than those of the small child), pets and the outdoors contribute massively to feed the world of bacteria in which the little is found immersed. Microorganisms that shouldn't be scary, but which, in the long term, can also benefit your health.
On the question of pets that protect children from allergies, science has spent a lot of money and there is a lot of evidence on the correlation between four-legged friends and the health of the child. And that's not all: even dirt is good for their protection system from external agents.
Fonte dell'articolo: Danish Pediatric Asthma Center at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, "Environmental shaping of the bacterial and fungal community in infant bed dust and correlations with the airway microbiota"
TAG:
- health and children
- children's sleep
- immune system
- allergies children
