Those who dread making up their Silentnight bed every morning may be happy to hear that leaving the sheets in disarray deters dust mites.

Research by scientists at Kingston University has revealed that allergies and asthma may be minimised by leaving a bed unmade because the bugs cannot survive in an unmade bed due to the warm and dry conditions, the BBC reports.

Dr Stephen Pretlove told the news provider: "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."

He added that this study could potentially save around £700 million that is spent on treating mite-related illnesses.

Although some house-proud Silentnight bed owners may be a little disgruntled at the findings of the research, they may wish to think twice before smartening their sheets on a daily basis.

The body of a house dust mite is just visible against a dark background in normal light. A typical house dust mite measures 420 micrometres (or 0.4 mm) in length and 250–320 micrometres (0.25–0.3 mm) in width.