The Psychological Effects of Bed Bug Infestations

Most pests are a nuisance you deal with and forget. Bed bugs are different because of where they are: in the one place you go to rest, feeding on you while you are asleep. That is a hard thing to put out of your mind.

This post is about that side of an infestation. We are pest controllers, not doctors, so where it matters we say plainly who to talk to.

Why Bed Bugs Get Under Your Skin

Several things combine to make them unusually stressful.

• They attack you in bed. The bedroom stops feeling like a safe place.
• You rarely see them. Not knowing where they are, or how many, leaves room for the imagination to fill in the gaps.
• The bites arrive late. Marks that appear a day or so after you were bitten make it hard to tell what is happening now.
• They are hard to clear by yourself. Repeated failed attempts turn a problem into a feeling of helplessness.
• They carry a stigma. People wrongly link them with dirt, so they keep quiet about it.

The Effects People Describe

Poor sleep

This is the big one. People lie awake waiting to be bitten, sleep with the light on, or check the sheets several times a night. A few weeks of broken sleep affects concentration, patience and mood during the day.

Constant itching and checking

Once you know about bed bugs, every itch and every speck on the sheet feels like evidence. Many people find they keep feeling crawling or itching sensations even when nothing is there, and that often carries on for a while after the insects have gone.

Embarrassment and isolation

People stop inviting friends round, avoid staying with family in case they carry them, and do not mention it at work. Keeping a secret like that is tiring on its own.

Worry about money and belongings

There is often an urge to throw things away, especially the mattress. That is expensive, it rarely helps, and it adds a sense of loss to everything else.

What Tends to Help

The most reliable thing is getting from not knowing to knowing. A confirmed problem with a plan is far easier to live with than a suspected one.

• Get it confirmed. Look for physical evidence rather than reading your skin. Our identification guide shows what to look for, and a pest inspection settles it if you cannot tell.
• Have a plan with dates. Knowing when the treatment is, what you have to do beforehand and when a follow-up is due gives you something to hold on to.
• Stop throwing things out. Most belongings can be kept, washed or treated. Ask before you get rid of anything.
• Keep sleeping in your own bed. It sounds hard, but moving rooms tends to spread them and lengthens the whole episode.
• Tell someone. A partner, a friend or your landlord. The problem gets smaller once you are not carrying it alone.

A problem with a plan and a date is much easier to sleep next to than a problem you are only guessing at.

After the Treatment

The insects usually go before the worry does. It is common to keep checking the bed and to react to every itch for some time afterwards.

Two things help. First, know what to expect: seeing an occasional young bed bug after a first treatment is normal, because eggs keep hatching, and it is why a follow-up visit is often part of the job. Second, use evidence rather than feelings. If you find fresh spotting or a live insect, tell us. If you find nothing, trust that.

Every treatment we carry out is guaranteed: if the problem comes back within 14 days of treatment, we return and re-treat free of charge. That means you do not have to decide on your own whether something you have seen is worth a call. Ring us and ask.

When to Speak to Your GP

If the anxiety, low mood or poor sleep does not ease once the infestation has been dealt with, or it is affecting work, relationships or how you cope day to day, speak to your GP. It is a reasonable thing to raise, and you will not be the first person to raise it.

For the bites themselves, a pharmacist can advise on soothing the itch, and our bed bug bites guide covers what they look like and when to seek help.

Getting the Infestation Dealt With

The quickest way to take the pressure off is to get a proper treatment booked. See our bed bug control page for how the service works. The price is £220 for the first room, plus £80 for each additional room, and we confirm it before anything is booked; the cost guide explains what that covers.