Where To Sleep If You Have Bed Bugs?

You have discovered bed bugs at home. Now you have many burning questions like where to sleep, how to get rid of them, and many others.

And no, you do not need to stay awake the whole night.

I will help you answer all those questions and guide you on what to do against those blood-sucking pests.

The answer to the question where to sleep if you have bed bugs is not what you think.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Can I Sleep On The Bed That Has Bed Bugs?

In truth, If you don’t think the bed bug problem is very severe, you can sleep on your mattress with bed bugs.

It would help if you took certain actions to ensure that bed bugs won’t bite you as you sleep.

However, there’s a caveat. What you’re about to discover won’t remove bed bugs from your house.

These steps can help avoid bed bug bites and guarantee a restful night’s sleep.

Use a powerful bed bug spray to eliminate bed bugs hiding under the mattress, headboard, and box springs. Bed bugs will die on contact with the spray. 

Cover your mattress with an encasement so that bedbugs stay inside where they can’t bite you. The placement of traps around your bed will prevent bedbugs from reaching you.

If One Room Has Bed Bugs, Do They All?

Most people would consider discovering bed bugs in their homes a nightmare. Maybe they are present on some used furniture you picked up at a yard sale, or you may bring them after traveling. 

Regardless of how they got into your home, bed bugs can expand quickly, so they need to be removed as soon as possible before a severe infestation. Can they be removed easily? Do all the rooms have bed bugs?

Your house may have bed bugs in multiple rooms. Depends on how you live, how long the bed bugs have been there, how widespread the infestation is, and how you respond to their presence once you find out about them. 

Can I Sleep In Bed After Bed Bug Treatment?

You may continue to sleep in your bed after proper treatment. Your mattress and box spring should be encased. 

Encasement or biting will prevent any bedbugs left in the mattress or box spring from escaping. A mattress or box spring encasement also prevents bed bugs from spreading from different room parts into the mattress or box spring.

The PMP will inspect the treatment after it is completed to determine whether it was effective. If significant reductions in bed bugs do not occur, combining methods or alternative treatments may be necessary. 

Prepare the home as suggested by the pest control professional before the follow-up service. 

Should I Sleep In Another Room If I Have Bed Bugs?

Ok, you have bed bugs; what now? Would you move everything to another room and sleep in peace?

It is not a good idea to sleep in another room if you have bed bugs because they will follow you. The infestation may also spread to other rooms in your house.

Bed bugs can be eliminated more effectively through other methods. 

Should I Sleep On A Couch If I Have Bed Bugs?

Although you have a bed bug infestation, you better continue to sleep in your very same bedroom. 

You would risk contaminating other areas of your home if you move rooms or start sleeping on the couch. 

The CO2 you breathe attracts bed bugs as well, and they are capable of crawling down a hallway in search of their next meal.

If I Sleep With Lights On, Does It Scare Bed Bugs? 

Bed bugs emerge from hiding once they realize the host is asleep. However, bed bugs link the absence of lighting with their feeding times. Still, they also consider their host’s level of activity, like body temperature and carbon dioxide production.

Leaving the lights on while you sleep could fool bed bugs into thinking that it’s not an appropriate time for them to devour your blood. However, their urge to feed with blood will become stronger and more intense as time passes.

If that happens, bed bugs will not think about the lighting. They will come out of wherever they hide, crawl across exposed skin, and suck your blood.

Bed bugs are nocturnal pests not because they are scared of light but because it’s during the darkness that they can easily consume the blood of human beings.

How To Avoid Bed Bugs From Biting In Sleep

You can take action to stop bed bugs from getting into your bed and lessen the risk of them biting on you when you’re asleep.

Below are the five tips to help you prevent Bed bug bites from attacking you the late at night:

• Wash all bedding items at high temperatures
• Now and then, vacuum your mattress and your bed box.
• Don’t store items under your bed.
• Drying and washing the clothes following the trip
• Seek professional assistance to rid your bed bugs.

Do Bed Bugs Follow Me To Other Rooms?

After you found bed bugs at your home, You decided to sleep in a different bedroom in hopes of fooling bugs not to disturb you.

Bed bugs are small and flat, making it simple for them to climb into the voids of wall sockets for electrical appliances and many other crevices and cracks. 

If you’re sleeping in a separate room, the bugs could find them through the carbon dioxide emissions you produce as you sleep. 

They could get into your home through walls, hallways, and other methods. Bed bugs also can climb up walls to access their sources of food.

So changing the rooms is not a solution; it may even worsen the infestation.

How to Avoid Bed Bug Bites?

• Cover the mattress of your bed with a mattress encasement
• Clean your bedding items with high temperature
• Apply bed bug repellers to your body
• Choose your sleeping clothes in a way that covers your body 
• Make use of bed bug interceptors to prevent bed bugs from reaching you

Check out this more detailed article on how to treat bed bugs.

What Bugs Bite At Night Beside Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs aren’t the only bugs that could attack you at night. Here is the list of other bugs that could attack you when you’re asleep.

Fleas

The majority of fleas bite the lower portion of your body. They usually do this in moist areas such as the area behind your wrists and knees. If there is a pet in your house, then fleas could be the ones that bite you in the night.

Make use of a vacuum cleaner to scrub the carpets and mattresses. Rinse your pet’s bedding in hot water. If your pet is suffering from fleas, visit your vet to deal with the problem. 

Spiders

Most spiders are nocturnal. While you’re asleep, spider bites are rare though still possible. If threatened, spiders bite.

Their poison isn’t powerful enough to cause major human health problems; however, it could cause itchiness, rashes, and swelling in certain instances.

Mites

Mites are small creatures that live on birds. The tiny insects may cause red rashes and swelling skin, and it often appears as if something is invisibly biting you. The bites are so small that they usually are not noticed or cause you to suffer from itching for a short duration.

Scabies

Scabies is a form of mite that causes the rash to worsen in the evenings. The mites can cause severe itching, and the main cause is sharing bedding and clothing. If you’re in college and share the bedding with your roommates, that may cause nights without sleep.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are attracted by darkness. They can enter your home through doors, windows, and vents. They feed off blood and therefore have a close relationship with humans. If, for instance, you feel a pricking or humming pains at night, it’s mosquitoes. 

The easiest method to avoid mosquitoes is to use mesh screens on doors and windows. The mesh permits cross-ventilation and stops mosquitoes from entering.

Booking A Room In A Hotel

Yes, bed bugs can be present at hotels. Even more, they might be taking you home.

Bedbug infestations can happen anytime; however, experts recommend that you be wary of bugs during the peak times for travel (like summer). Infesting crevices and cracks are excellent to hitchhike and latch onto baggage and other items.

They can’t distinguish between a luxurious resort or a cheap motel. They can be found everywhere. Hotels, vacation cottages, vacation rentals on the beaches, Airbnbs, and even visits to a friend’s house.

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep these tiny bloodsuckers become an unintentional souvenir from your vacation.

Inspect your hotel room. Before settling in, make sure you do an initial scan of the bed and any chairs or couches. 

Check the seams and folds of the mattress, as tiny stainings that appear dark may be signs of an issue; you may even see the insects’ shells, which are castaway or eggs that are pearly white.

Take a close look at headboards made of wood. While bedbugs are often found clinging to fabrics, they may use claws to grasp and climb on bed frames. Have a look behind the headboard because the creatures typically hide within cracks.

Make sure your luggage is off the floor. While there is a possibility that multiple bedbugs or a mated female might require a stowaway to bring an infestation to the home, It’s important to take precautions.

Unpack as soon as possible. Bedbugs aren’t usually found on the body; however, they could adhere to your suitcase’s clothing or material. If you suspect you have brought back some unwanted guests and they may have returned, the ideal solution is to expose the areas to temperatures. The dryer’s high temperature for about 30 minutes will kill them all.

What about the luggage? There are luggage heaters designed specifically for this reason, although it may be unwise to shell out big dollars on them. In the summer months, there’s a better option. 

If it’s extremely hot out, place it in a closed vehicle for a couple of days. The amount of temperature that a car can get hot in the summertime at around 80 degrees will likely suffice to kill bed bugs in suitcases.

Is It Possible To Get Bed Bugs When Visiting Someone’s House?

If your guest already has bed bugs at home, they may bring a couple of bed bugs to your home; that’s quite possible.

Before we move on, we need to get this out of the way. Bed bugs can be a problem for anyone and any object they encounter. 

Do not judge someone for having problems with bed bugs. Bed bugs don’t discriminate and can infect clean and dirty houses equally.

Bed bugs are travelers and are willing to take an opportunity to ride every time with their hosts. They are extremely resilient and adaptable for their small size. They’ve been around for more than three thousand years!

They do not attach to hair or skin. Bed bugs only can piggyback through shoes, clothing, bedding, bags, luggage, and many other items.

How to keep someone who has bed bugs from bringing them to your home?

Be careful not to let your guests into your bedroom, particularly with bags and coats. Ensure the front closet is clean, and then store your guests’ coats and other items there. After the visit, you can steam and then sweep to clean the space thoroughly.

Slipcovers are a great way to protect your furniture. After your guests have left, wash and dry them at high temperatures.

Consider mattress encasements for the rooms of your guests. It is also possible to put diatomaceous earth on their mattresses and luggage.

If guests bring presents to your house, wash the items that can be washed. Be sure to remove, seal and throw away the boxes used for packing and wrapping paper properly.

If guests are staying overnight, you can offer the possibility of washing and drying their clothes but do not fully explain the circumstances. Dry and wash their clothes in the most efficient way possible. If you can, you can steam them in your washer.

If you have guests who lay on the couch, cover it by putting a sheet over it and washing the sheet once they’ve left. Make sure to clean your couch, too.

Be sure to place their bags and suitcases in the plastic garbage bag and tie it up properly.

If your guest is only staying for a brief period, ensure that their belongings are kept within a specific area of your home. Bed bugs can take time to move between rooms; therefore, they’ll be confined to a single location if you have bed bugs in your home.

Final Answer To Where To Sleep If You Have Bed Bugs

I would suggest that you stay in your bedroom even after discovering an infestation of bed bugs.

If you decide to move rooms or sleep on the couch, you are at the risk of spreading the disease to other rooms in your home.

Bed bugs won’t disappear if you rest in a different room. They will instead follow and form new colonies whenever you go. 

Be sure to remain in the same space as your home is being treated for bed bugs.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have found this guide helpful.

Best regards.

Frequently Asked Questions