unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Film and TV
    • Netflix
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Important reason hundreds of tiny parasites crawl all over your face while you sleep

Home> News> Health

Published 13:15 1 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Important reason hundreds of tiny parasites crawl all over your face while you sleep

The tiny parasites play a crucial role in your sleep cycle

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: Sleep, Health, Science

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

For many, going to bed is the best time of the day, as you rest your eyes for an important day ahead.

And while many sleep experts talk about having that perfect environment for a good nights kip, you can take comfort in the fact that you're never truly alone when you're asleep.

Basically, dozens of eight-legged mites crawl on your face every single night, making for some unwanted visitors.

But thankfully, you cannot see or even feel these crawlers known as demodex mites, but rest assured they are everywhere on your body.

Advert

The minuscule parasites live around the outer parts of hair follicles and find their oily contents extremely tasty.

Alejandra Perotti, a professor of invertebrate biology at the University of Reading in the UK, said: "While we are sleeping, they come out and are very happy, mating, visiting relatives, walking on our faces. The moment we wake up, they go back inside the pore."

The mites are not visible (Getty Stock Photo)
The mites are not visible (Getty Stock Photo)

While some of you may find that a little creepy, the expert went on to say there's not really anything to worry about, as per CNN.

Demodex mites clean out the gunk from your pores, and they can continue to do so because they have evolved to resist ultraviolet rays from the sun, which could damage their DNA.

In exchange for these mites emptying out gunk, the human body offers our melatonin, a hormone produced in the skin that helps us to sleep, but vitally, provides energy for the mites to thrive.

Sometimes these tiny parasites can cause issues, but there are actions you can take to avoid this.

US physician Dr Dan Friederich, who specialises in sharing tips on how to look after your eyes as well as other medical advice tips, provided the information in a viral video.

The mites are found everywhere around your body (Getty Stock Photo)
The mites are found everywhere around your body (Getty Stock Photo)

Dr Friederich revealed that he can often tell if a person allows their pet to sleep in the same bed as them due to the appearance of parasites in their eyelashes.

"There is a common mite called Demodex that we see in the eyelashes that is a parasite. And the minute I see it in someone's eyes, the first question I ask is, 'do you sleep with your dog at night?'," he explained.

There's a really common cause of parasites appearing in your eyelashes, as the health expert added: "Don't sleep with your animals if you can help it."

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
    10 hours ago

    Trump gathers top banking leaders to address looming crisis after terrifying AI hack

    Trump was addressing the security crisis in finance which is posed by new AI technology

    News
  • Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for THE WILD PODCAST/ THE WILD BOYS
    11 hours ago

    Man dating his 'dad' defends relationship after admitting he always thought he was 'attracted to women'

    The pair were both only attracted to women before they met one another

    News
  • This Morning
    12 hours ago

    Woman who is allergic to daylight reveals brutal impact it's had on her daily life

    Sonal Keay is a barrister and businesswoman who shared her struggle with the chronic health condition

    News
  • Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
    12 hours ago

    Melania's former chief of staff calls out Donald Trump for his response to her Epstein speech

    Allegedly the president didn't know about his wife's speech before it happened

    News
  • Expert explains what actually happens to your body during sleep paralysis
  • Harrowing simulation shows what happens to your brain when you die
  • Doctor reveals the real reason you feel like falling when you're going to sleep
  • Magic '8-hour' sleep rule debunked by doctors as they explain why you shouldn't stress about it