subject: The Effects Of A Bed Bug Infestation [print this page] No dire health problem is posed by bed bugs; Seattle's Environmental Health Services department advises, "Bed bugs bites are a nuisance and annoying, but bed bugs are not known to spread diseases." Still, a bed bug problem negatively impacts a person's life in several ways, as outlined below. From San Francisco to Seattle, bed bugs are so irritating that those who suffer an infestation almost immediately call for bed bug pest control.
1. Social Stigma
If your buddies discover your home harbors a bed bug pest control problem, they could stop socializing with you. When New Yorkers first began finding bed bug infestations more than a year ago, the social rejection linked to these little bloodsuckers turned ugly fast. Bed bug victim Jeremy Sparig reported to the New York Times, "They don't want to hug you anymore; they don't want you coming over." His wife agreed, saying, "You're like a leper." In fact, the 2010 Bed Bugs in America report discovered that, of those who know someone with a bed bug problem, 40 percent refuse to enter the infested home, and 33 percent discourage friends with bed bugs from visiting their own homes.
2. Psychological Responses
Columbia University Psychology professor Kevin Ochsner has explained the psychological impact of bed bugs on NPR's Science Friday. Ochsner says bed bugs cause one's "imagination to run wild," turning on the sections of the brain that evolved to make humans feel fear about real external threats. Specifically, the amygdala (a section of the brain that facilitates emotional learning) is triggered when a person imagines bed bugs running over their body while they sleep, "like a horror movie," as Ochsner said. Even though bed bugs pose no real health threat, our brains get tricked into thinking they do. Match that neurological response with symbolism of the bed as a warm, safe, healing place, and you can begin to appreciate the anxiety and fear that comes along with bed bug invasions.
3. Allergic Skin Reactions
Not all bed bug threats are imagined. There is one real health hazard of bed bugs. Seattle to Scappoose, some individuals are allergic to bed bug bites. Furthermore, bed bug bites can become infected. Since they could carry staph bacteria, infected bed bug bites deserve immediate medical attention.
4. Sporadic Sleeping Patterns
From Miami to Seattle, bed bugs ruin sleep patterns. If you haven't had a bed bug pest control problem yet, envision this: You're waiting for sleep. You seem to hear hundreds of tiny feet along the floor as the bed bugs move from their daytime hiding spots into your bedding. Wait, was that twinge on your leg a bite? Or are you just imagining things? Bed bugs can drive a person mad, especially since their irritating bites make it nearly impossible to get a good night's sleep.
Although they're not considered disease vectors, bed bugs do affect a person's life in a major way. Their bites are irritating and can become infected; they carry a social stigma; and they destroy a person's sleep patterns. If you think your home is infested with bed bugs, Seattle or Bellevue residents, call your local bed bug pest control experts right away to get some relief.
