Could bed bugs be affecting your mental health?

What if the monsters have infested your whole bed, invading your most sacred and intimate haven: Sleep. The time when you’re least aware, least protected. The time you take out to rest and have a break from the rest of the world, but now you wake up to find your body full of insect bites, red swellings and itchiness. You’re under attack when you’re most vulnerable, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Sadly enough, this is not the beginning of the horror story. This is a story about the real consequences that thousands of people suffer, after finding out that bed bugs have infested their houses. But where do these bloodsuckers come from?

You clean your house everyday, you take very good care of your hygiene, and you know your family members do, too. So how on earth did those bed bugs find their way into your house?

Bed bug infestation does not have anything to do with how clean your house is, at all. All it takes is just one tiny devilish female bed bug to hitch a ride in one of your bags, clothes, or any possession really, from a previously-infested place you visited. Once it arrives, it hides away from plain sight. A female bed bug that is healthy and well blood-fed can lay from 2 to 5 eggs every day, producing all ways from 200 up to 500 eggs in its lifetime.

They’ll always hide away from sight, inactive at day and crawling around at night. You’ll find them in the corners of your cupboards, in your mattresses, your bed-frame, carpets and bedroom clutter. They’re so good at hiding that you might not see any bed bugs at all, but if you look closer, you might see some signs of their infestation:

Bed bugs don’t transmit diseases, and in most cases, don’t result in serious physical problems. Yes, they do suck your blood, and they bite almost any area of your body, leaving some dots and surrounding inflammation indicating the area of the bite. You don’t feel the bite itself, as they numb your skin while piercing your it with their proboscis to drink your blood. This might sound scary, but what’s more scary is the mental and emotional toll that comes with it.

If you’ve never experienced having your house infested by bed bugs, you’re probably thinking that we’re making a big deal out of a silly thing. “So what?”, you might snort, “Just spray them off and get your life back together”.

This is one of the main reasons why getting a bed bug infestation is more emotionally and mentally draining, than physically. You’re embarrassed of saying that out loud, as it may be an indication your house is not clean. You might feel ashamed about getting affected mentally or emotionally, as you might be judged as mentally “weak”.

Due to the social pressure you feel, you try to avoid getting exposed to it at all. You start to become more and more socially withdrawn and isolated, instead of seeking help. It’s getting worse, and the worse it gets, the more isolated you become.

They might not harm you severely physically, but the scariest part is to wake up from sleep having bed bug bites all over your body. It’s the thought that every time you’ll go to sleep, you’re offering yourself as a victim to these bloodsucking creatures. You begin to lose sleep, start developing anxiety and paranoia, and become too tired that you need to rest but you can’t. The blood suckers are still waiting for you!

We’re talking about how badly a bed bug infestation could affect a completely mentally stable and health individual. It wouldn’t come as a shock to know that it’s much worse for those who suffered from previous incidents of mental disorders, even worse for those still suffering.

Getting rid of the infestation in your house is even draining financially. From searching for good and trusted companies to fumigate the house, to trying out every product out there. Miss just one tiny little bug, and then you find yourself starting the nightmare all over again when they come back. Most often than not, you need to throw away many of your furniture and possessions as they cannot be salvaged.

Taking the necessary precautions is then essential to control an existing infestation, or to prevent one from occurring in the first place.

According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best approach to controlling an existing infestation is through combining the following:

There’s no shame in being affected by bed bugs. It’s been announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that bed bugs are a public health pest that affects the mental, emotional, physical and financial health of the individuals.

Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about getting your house infested with bed bugs, or about feeling emotionally and mentally disturbed by that. Seek help, approach trained authorities to deal with the infestation and keep the health of your family and yourself safe.