How to Improve Your Health One Houseplant at a Time
7 minute read
No matter where you live, the sad truth is that the air outside is not always great for your health. Most people think they are safer indoors, but pollution and toxins creep into your house or workspace throughout the day.
At any given time you are breathing in chemical emissions and allergens even while you rest in the comfort of your own home. So how are we supposed to stay healthy when we are constantly exposed to such dangers?
Luckily, there are some houseplants that can rescue you from the bad air while helping to promote your overall health and well-being.
Diseases such as asthma, skin allergies, and even some cancers have been linked to pollutants that we breathe in as we sleep each night. Studies show that there is no way to really avoid the toxins, as they can pretty much get anywhere.
The best alternative is to bring in some houseplants for the living areas of your home and specifically, your bedroom.
There are 6 types of plants in particular that can help to counteract the polluted air and prevent allergies or diseases. These 6 wonder plants also provide several benefits to boost your health overall.
The Plants You Need in Your Life
1. Lavender
A member of the mint family, lavender provides a delicate and pleasant scent throughout any room. Lavender oil has been used for centuries to aid restless sleepers. Oil or petals can be used to make sachets for under your pillow or to hang on the wall.
You can also keep a potted lavender plant on your bedside table as a great way to relieve stress and keep you relaxed. Studies have shown that lavender helps to calm the heart rate and helps you sleep at night.
The calming scents from the lavender plant are just what you need to avoid breathing in too much bad air from outside. At the same time, you can promote a calming atmosphere in your room and soothe any headaches that a stressful day may have caused.
2. Jasmine
Jasmine flowers have an intoxicating scent that also happens to be very relaxing. Placing a jasmine plant in your room will improve your sleep dramatically, and more restful sleep keeps you healthier.
The more rested you are, the better equipped your body is to ward of the harmful elements you are exposed to each day. No more struggles to fall asleep after a long day, and jasmine helps to relieve headaches too.
Place a jasmine plant in your room to get a restful sleep every night. You also have the added advantage of fighting off pollutants and diseases related to poor sleeping habits.
3. Valerian
Valerian plants are characterized by an aromatic flower, usually pink or white in color. This plant had been a favored houseplant since the 19th century because the fragrance has been known to reduce anxiety and promote a calming effect on even the most stressed-out person.
Keeping a potted valerian plant in your room will help you get a restful night’s sleep and wake refreshed and with an elevated mood and mindset. Valerian specifically increases GABA, a neurotransmitter, which is known to reduce brain activity and promote deeper sleep.
Additionally, people like to use the petals of the valerian plant to brew a soothing cup of tea or to add a nice scent and relaxing atmosphere to a bath.
4. Rosemary
As another member of the mint family, rosemary offers a refreshing scent and some health benefits. Rosemary has the ability to actually cleanse the air around you or the room.
This plant contains rosmarinic acid which is both an antioxidant and an antibacterial agent. The flowers of this herb, therefore, can improve your mood, prevent bacterial infections, and reduce inflammation.
Since inflammation is a major contributor to the aging process, some rosemary in your room can help to slow this down, allowing you to feel healthier and younger for longer.
Rosemary also has the added benefits of stimulating your brain and containing essential oils, such as cineol, camphene, and borneol. These oils provide anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antifungal properties to help boost your overall health.
5. Peace Lily
If you are not familiar with the peace lily, then you need to be. This flowering plant is not only pleasing to the eye, but it provides powerful health benefits too.
For starters, there is enough water within the petals of the flowers that a potted plant in your room can increase humidity during hot, dry days. This certainly is a more attractive and sweet-smelling option than humidifiers.
| Related: 9 Sleeping Positions to Improve Your Health and Life |
The peace lily is also known to prevent airborne diseases by killing several bacteria that are linked to allergies, thus relieving you from runny noses, itchy eyes, and dry coughs. Think how much better you could sleep with all of that discomfort removed by the peace lily.
6. Aloe Vera
Famous for being a soothing plant, aloe vera is a health-boosting addition to any bedroom. The aloe vera plant is a wonderful plant known to eliminate harmful bacteria and allergens from the air.
In fact, NASA has found that aloe vera is one of the best purifying herbs in the entire world.
Because they require a lot of sunlight, the best place for an aloe vera plant is near a window. Get one for yourself if you have trouble sleeping and start enjoying the health benefits right away.
The Bottom Line
Stocking up on houseplants can add aesthetic appeal to your bedroom and home overall. Of course, just because you cram a garden onto your bedroom windowsill doesn't mean all your problems will dry up overnight.
The benefits of these houseplants lie in a long-term sense. You may be surprised to find out how calming having some greenery at home can be.
Finally, before you go out and buy every plant listed, think of where in your home you might put them: how much sunlight will be available and how much sunlight do they need to thrive? Questions like this are best posed to the staff where you buy your plants, as they will have more specific information concerning your local weather and so on.
