Get Quality Sleep with These 6 House Plants
It’s no surprise that sleep is an issue for many Americans. Research continues to link sleep issues with chronic health issues like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression. It can feel strange that such a simple task of sleeping could be so difficult and have such an impact on your health.
If you are a person or you are a parent of a child that has dealt with sleep issues, you know how difficult the struggle can be. While there are many strategies to help you get a good night rest, one cost-effective, and non-invasive option is to add specific house plants to your bedroom to dramatically impact the quality of your sleep.
There are a number of studies that have been done to support the connection of sleep and plants. One study was conducted when NASA teamed up with Associated Landscape Contractors of American (ALCA) to fund a two-year study using about a dozen of common and popular varieties of ornamental plants to determine how effective these plants were in removing key pollutants associated with air pollution. The study showed that the plants take in polluted air leaving the room cleaner. In addition, the research showed that the plants were so effective at absorbing contaminants in the air, that NASA is planning to send these plants into space as part of a biological life support system on future space stations.
These house plants have been proven to improve the quality of air and because of this finding, the impact it can have is pretty powerful. The benefits of having these house plants in your bedroom include: reduced stress and anxiety, allergies, headaches, dry skin, cold and illness prevention, boosted mood, and of course improved sleep.
Plants help improve sleep by increasing the levels of oxygen in the air and lowering the carbon dioxide levels, as well as eliminating harmful chemicals from the air. They act as a natural humidifier and can soften the air by increasing the moisture levels in your home.
6 House Plants to Help You Get Quality Sleep
Here are 6 house plants that you can put right in your bedroom to help you get a better night’s rest.
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Gardenia
Some studies indicate that this plant can be as effective as Valium when it comes to relieving anxiety and promoting quality sleep. The Gardenia is a great choice for your bedroom as it has beautifully glossy evergreen leaves and scented blossoms.
While a Gardenia might not be the easiest plant to maintain as they take a lot of attention, they might be worth the effort. The plant should be placed in a bright room, but avoid placing directly into the sunlight.
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Spider Plant
This powerhouse plant showed that it removed 90% of the potentially cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde in NASA’s study. Formaldehyde is found in many common house hold products like adhesives, grouts, and fillers. This plant will help cleanse the air, absorb odors and help keep your oxygen levels raised so that you can get a good night’s rest.
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English Ivy
This simple to grow plant might be a perfect choice for your home. It needs moderate exposure to sunlight which makes it a great plant to thrive year round. This plant is another amazing plant with superhero-like powers and is one of NASA’s top plants for purifying air quality.
This plant has been shown to improve symptoms of allergies and asthma. These nasty illnesses can leave a person feeling discouraged as medicine doesn’t always, or can stop working overtime. An experiment in 2005 by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, reported that the English Ivy removed 94% of airborne feces and 78% of airborne mold in just 12 hours.
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Aloe Vera
As a child, I remember getting a terrible sunburn one summer. My mother applied Aloe Vera to my skin and immediately, I felt relief. Aloe Vera is a powerful plant that can do much more than just sooth a sunburn. While this plant is great for soothing inflammation, burned skin, and scars, that is just the beginning of this plants healing qualities. When placed in a room it will actually eradicate harmful chemicals found in cleaning agents. When you notice your Aloe Vera plant showing brown spots, it can be a sign that your home might have high levels of harmful chemicals.
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Lavender
Lavender is a power plant with so many benefits. It has slim green leaves and tiny purple flowers. Lavender is used in soaps, shampoos, food, and can be used as an essential oil. The house plant’s power comes from it’s simple but relaxing fragrance. Inhaling the fragrance of a lavender plant can relax a person and have sedative-like results. Research has found that lavender increased slow-wave sleep which is that deep sleep when the heartbeat slows and the muscles in your body relax. This is the key period of time that allows your brain to organize memory.
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Jasmine Plant
The Jasmine Plant is an aesthetically beautiful plant with green leaves and tiny little white flowers. However, when it comes to this plant, there is more to the story then meets the eye. A study was done at Wheeling Jesuit University, on the impact that the Jasmine scent would have on sleep. According to Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, assistant professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), “Research shows that odors have significant effects on the human nervous system, even in the absence of attention and awareness to these odors,” said Raudenbush. They found that the people they studied had a better quality of sleep due to the orders of the Jasmine plant.
Another study conducted in Germany found that the scent of Jasmine could be as strong of a sleep pill. They found that breathing in Jasmine soothes, relives anxiety, and improves sleep.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to getting good and quality sleep, having house plants can be an effective, non-invasive way to make that happen. These house plant’s abilities to improve air quality by adding oxygen to the room, removing chemicals, and giving off sedative-like fragrances can be just as effective as sleeping pills, but without the side effects.
