Should You Make Your Bed Every Day?

I will be honest. I never make my bed. The last thing I want to do in the morning when I wake up is make the bed I just reluctantly crawled out of. Adding to that, the last thing I want to do when it's time to go to bed is get the bed ready for me to crawl back into it. I just want to climb in it and go to sleep. I don't need it to look pretty. I need it to look comfortable.

So, imagine my surprise to hear these words of wisdom from Admiral McRaven, who gave the commencement address a decade ago at the University of Texas at Austin. He said, "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."

Okay, Admiral. I definitely want to help change the world. No doubt I work tirelessly to help change my local community. But what does that have to do with making my bed? The world isn't going to see it. Trust me. Hardly anyone's going to!

But his assertion made me a bit curious. Are their health benefits of making your bed? A 2012 Psychology Today study suggests there are definite mental health benefits. Researchers simply polled the crowd- 68,000 people as a matter of fact. Nearly 60%, of those respondents think like I do. They said they don't make their beds. However, the respondents that claimed to make their beds daily told researchers they're happier than the folks who don't. According to the survey, "71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy." Conversely, 62 percent of the people refusing to make their beds say they are unhappy. Wait!!! What??? I'd be unhappy if I had to make my bed. I am happy as a lark the way it is.

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Pretty much every article I have found online talks about the positive mental health benefits of making your bed. Benefits like self-confidence (what? how?), a sense of order (who cares?), being prepared for bigger challenges (because my sheets are tucked in?). But are there physical health benefits of making your bed as well?

Actually, according to a 2015 study, it actually may be healthier to NOT make your bed. Why? Two words. Actually, two gross words. Dust. Mites.

So, what about you?