While you’ve likely heard about all the benefits of eating more plants, have you heard about the importance of having more house plants?
Sure, indoor plants are pretty to look at, but there is more than just their visible appearance to be happy about.
Here are 5 amazing things that adding more plants to your home will do:
Improve Air Quality
Plants are a natural method of air purification and recycling. Humans use oxygen for breathing, and in the process give off carbon dioxide. This off-gas is filled with all the toxins that our body doesn’t need or want. And lucky for us, plants do want it! Plants take in carbon dioxide, and with the help of the sun are able to convert this to oxygen which we can use. It is known as the carbon cycle, and having this purification going on in your house helps enhance the air you breathe and makes it cleaner and more oxygen rich.
Increase Wellbeing
Whether they are in bloom, growing a new leaf or just bringing vibrant colour to your life, plants are a great way to improve your overall mental wellbeing. Having plants helps you de-stress, have been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and can help with respiration. Overall having plants in a room, brings new life, helping you feel more optimistic, and with a general feeling of increased happiness.
Manage Humidity
if you have dry air, or are in a season that tends to make your air dry out (hello winter!), plants may be the perfect answer. As part of their natural process of photosynthesis, plants will take in and give off water. This allows them to contribute hydration back into the atmosphere, which in turn helps ensure your skin stays hydrated and allows for better breathing.
Boost Sleep Quality
This enhanced air and breathing is a great way to help with your sleep. Achieving an optimal sleep for the body requires us to also have optimal conditions. This includes temperature, time we go to bed, air quality and humidity levels and our state of mind. While you may find yourself struggling to fall asleep because of a racing mind and too many thoughts, at least, with plants you won’t be able to blame the humidity and hydration levels of the air, in trying to get optimal shut-eye.
Help with Immunity
Combine the ability of plants to purify the air, improve hydration levels, and enhance sleep and wellbeing, and you have the perfect recipe for improved immunity. Our immune system works hard every day to keep us safe from particles in the air which may contain disease or make us sick. When we keep our body optimally functioning and keep the air clean, this makes the job of the immune system easier and allows it to function more efficiently. The outcome? Fewer colds, less illness and improved overall wellness.
If having a cute plant in your room didn’t make you rush out and make a purchase, let these reasons do it instead. What are you waiting for? Your succulent family is calling!
By: Laura Peill, RHN, BScH
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