When I was a kid the one thing that I fought with my parents about was making my bed. In most respects I was tidy as could be, but I just hated the idea of getting up and doing a chore in the morning. To be honest, I never outgrew this, and I’m sure many of you out there haven’t either. If so, good news for you: skipping this may just be saving you from a creepy situation.

Yup, those are exactly what you think they are: DUST MITES.

And according to a Kingston University study, the average bed could be home to approximately 1.5 million of these little suckers. Not exactly the type of animal you want crawling around your bedroom, right?

Here are some fun – i.e. disgusting! – facts about these little guys.

• Dust mites are so teeny that they are completely invisible to the naked eye. You would literally have to examine your sheets under a microscope to get a good look at them.
• Their cuisine of choice is dead skin cells, but they’re not too picky—they’ll go for either the human or the animal variety, if you have a pet that sleeps with you.
• If you are an asthma sufferer then you probably already know that dust mites are your worst enemy. People with breathing difficulties tend to endure respiratory issues when dealing with an infestation.

Now that you are all properly grossed out, I’ll tell you how not making your bed can stop the spread of these heinous creatures.

That same Kingston University study found that the dust mites thrived in environments where there was moisture present. The idea is that if you vacate your bed in the morning after a night of sleep, and immediately tuck in the sheets and seal it all up with a heavy comforter, then you are essentially trapping moisture into the bedding.

Researcher Dr. Stephen Pretlove concluded that “Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die.”

Wow, sounds like a plan, huh?

Not so fast. There is a definite downside to Pretlove’s theory. For one, experts dispute whether this method would actually get rid of the dust mites in the first place. Secondly, not making your bed may just make you not want to leave your bed.

Here’s the deal: according to Psychology Today, not following a bed-making routine in the morning has been revealed to cause a state of discontent. Of the participants polled, 71 percent of people who make their bed every morning consider themselves to be happy, while only 62 percent of those who don’t make their beds think of themselves as unhappy.

It definitely makes sense! There seems to be a strong correlation between confidence and keeping a nice home.

So, now that we’ve left you with a paradoxical issue, here is a bit of advice: wash those sheets! Washing them once a week at high heat will help keep the bugs at bay. Additionally, using a dehumidifier, vacuuming consistently, and using commercial dust mite killing products, when needed, have all been proven to be effective methods.

Watch TODAY‘s video below to see just how polarizing this issue can be!