You know how helpful indoor plants can be for your health. But while you have potted myriad plants in and around your house, you may still be in two minds about keeping a few plants in your bedroom, probably because you are worried that bedroom plants can be harmful at night as they emit carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen. However, research suggests that the carbon dioxide released by plants is too less to be harmful to humans and the oxygen they absorb is pretty minuscule.1 On the contrary, plants help you sleep better, suppress airborne germs, release water vapor, and remove indoor pollutants and chemicals from the air.2 3 So here are the 9 plants that help you sleep better every night.
[expert_opinion expertname=’danaclaudat’ opinion=”While as a general rule I avoid lots of plants in the bedroom, if you have a lot of electronics nearby or a very stressful life, some plants can help neutralize geopathic stress in your home and bedroom.”]
1. Lavender
The benefits of lavender essential oil in boosting sleep quality are widely acknowledged. According to the National Sleep Foundation, lavender helps your body relax by lowering your blood pressure and heart rate.4
Lavender aromatherapy has also been shown to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body, aiding in relaxation and better blood circulation.5 The smell of lavender can lull even fussy babies to sleep. And that means sweet dreams for the new parents as well! It can also reduce anxiety and improve your mood.
Keeping a lavender plant in your bedroom can afford many of these same benefits that lavender essential oil does. This fragrant plant with its gorgeous blue blooms, native to the Mediterranean region, has been used as a sleep aid for centuries. In ancient times, people would fill pillows with lavender flowers and leaves to encourage more restful sleep. The distinct aroma of a lavender plant in your bedroom can facilitate better sleep, boost and lift mood, and reduce anxiety.6
[expert_opinion expertname=’danaclaudat’ opinion=”Lavender is also a wonderful agent of space-clearing, warding off negative energies, and stagnation with it’s high energy aroma. As the flowers dry out, you can create wreaths or bundles to hang on your bedroom door and even your front door. “]
Caring For Lavender
- Keep your lavender plant near a south-facing window if possible.
- Water the plant lightly whenever the top of the soil inside the pot feels dry. Make sure to not over-water because lavender roots are particularly prone to root rot due to excess water.
- Some varieties of lavender can grow up to 3 feet tall and wide; so make sure to choose a smaller variety for indoor use.
2. Jasmine
With its delectably sweet fragrance and gorgeous white flowers, jasmine plants make for an excellent addition to any bedroom. To understand the value of keeping a jasmine plant in your bedroom, simply take a dekko at the dozens of benefits that jasmine essential oil proffers.
It comes highly recommended for help with depression, stress, fatigue, and anxiety. In fact, studies have shown that inhaling jasmine oil transmits signals to the limbic system – a region of the brain that regulates emotions as well as impacts the nervous system.7
[pullquote]Jasmine can lift your mood, calm you down, alleviate stress, and gently lull you to sleep.[/pullquote]
Aromatherapy practitioners also recommend jasmine essential oil to help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing and improve immune health. Studies have shown that subjects who inhaled the scent of jasmine while sleeping experienced deeper sleep, less movement throughout the night, and overall better quality of sleep.8
The intoxicating and delicious aroma wafting from a jasmine plant in your bedroom can, therefore, lift your mood, calm you down, alleviate stress, gently lull you to sleep, and help you get better sleep.
Caring For Jasmine
- A jasmine plant should ideally be kept in a room with cooler temperatures, near a south-facing window.
- Give it a plant support or trellis to help it grow.
- Allow no more than 3–4 hours of sunlight for your jasmine.
- Fertilize with indoor plant fertilizer in the spring and keep the soil moist (not soggy).
- Prune the plant thoroughly in early spring to control size.
3. Rosemary
A commonly used herb for cooking purposes, rosemary can also help you get better sleep. Rosemary has been considered a memory booster for centuries in ancient medicine. Practitioners today recommend rosemary essential oil for supporting the nervous system and circulatory health, improving concentration, and relieving stress.9
[pullquote]Rosemary can improve your focus, boost your memory, and relieve stress.[/pullquote]
Rosemary essential oil also helps regulate your mood and make you feel uplifted.10 A rosemary plant in the bedroom can help improve air quality and encourage better sleep. What’s not to love!
Caring For Rosemary
- Often sold in small 6″ pots, rosemary can be grown as an annual plant indoors.
- It can grow about 3 feet tall and wide; so make sure to prune in order to control size.
- Water the soil when it feels dry and use a slow-release fertilizer in early spring.
- Rosemary plants require about 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
4. Snake Plant
Don’t let its name scare you. Snake plants are actually an amazing addition to your bedroom. The plant can filter harmful toxins from the air you breathe, remove carbon dioxide from the air, and release oxygen all night long, helping you sleep better and wake up feeling energized. Snake plants are especially recommended for those with allergies and breathing issues such as asthma.11
[pullquote]Keep a snake plant indoors if you have asthma. It removes toxins from the air.[/pullquote]
Research suggests that these plants are highly effective in removing harmful toxins like benzene and formaldehyde from indoor areas.12 This is an extraordinarily resilient plant, considered almost impossible to kill!
Caring For Snake Plants
- Snake plans don’t require a lot of light and are relatively low-maintenance plants.
- Occasionally, dust the plant to clean it and water every once in a while.
- You don’t even need to fertilize it.
5. Spider Plant
Spider plants are considered beneficial for indoor use because it is known to purify and detox the air you breathe when you’re indoors.13 It does this by filtering out airborne pollutants.14
[pullquote]Spider plants can remove 90% of the cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde from the air.[/pullquote]
A NASA study showed that just like snake plants, spider plants can eliminate 90% of the potentially carcinogenic chemical formaldehyde from the air. The plant also absorbs unpleasant odors and fumes and is known to promote good sleep.15
Caring For Spider Plants
- Spider plants are very resilient and very low-maintenance, needing only occasional watering.
- Try hanging them near a window in a hanging basket.
- The plant grows rapidly and looks beautiful cascading out of its basket.
- It only needs a moderate amount of indirect sunlight and thrives with minimal care.
6. English Ivy
English ivy is a great option if you’re looking to add a dash of greenery to your bedroom. Not only is it gorgeous to look at – there’s your pretty corner accent – it also helps purify the air inside your house.
The NASA Clean Air Study found that English ivy can reduce the amount of mold spores in your home environment.16 So keeping an English ivy plant in the bedroom or elsewhere can help people with mold allergies who experience mild to severe symptoms.
[pullquote]English Ivy helps if you have mold allergy, but keep it out of reach of kids and pets.[/pullquote]
That said, English Ivy is also a poisonous plant and so take care to keep the plant out of the reach of kids and pets who may be attracted to the leaves and berries. The sap from the plant can also cause skin reactions in some people.17
Caring For English Ivy
- Keep your English Ivy plant in a shady spot where it gets indirect light.
- Also be sure to keep it away from AC vents and drafty areas.
- This plant is known to grow vigorously; so it’s important to control its size by pruning regularly.
- Water the plant when the soil feels dry to touch.
7. Aloe Vera
Popularly known for its beauty benefits, aloe vera also helps you get some “beauty” sleep. It purifies the toxic benzene and formaldehyde from the air in your room and helps you get a good night’s sleep.18
[pullquote]Aloe vera plants can help you sleep better by purifying the indoor air.[/pullquote]
Need another reason to keep an aloe plant in your room? It can also be used to heal minor cuts and bruises. Moreover, aloe vera juice is believed to have properties that can fight diabetes.19
Caring For Aloe Vera
- Keep your aloe plants in a dry environment.
- It is best to plant them in a cactus potting soil mix.
- Add drainage holes to the pot, as aloe plants are averse to moisture.
- Since they need bright light, place the plants near a window.
- Water the plant only when the soil is completely dry.
8. Gardenia
One of the most exquisite flowering houseplants, gardenia is often used as an ornamental shrub. Studies indicate that crocetin, the active carotenoid compound of gardenia, can significantly improve the quality of sleep.20
[pullquote]Gardenia can improve the quality of sleep by mimicking the activities of mood-enhancing drugs.[/pullquote]
Research also suggests that the effects of gardenia mimic those of potent psychotropic drugs. This means a better sleep and an enhanced mood.21
Caring For Gardenia
- Gardenia plants love sunlight, so place them in front of a window.
- Keep the soil moist but well-drained.
- Add enough manure to keep your gardenia nourished.
9. Valerian
A perennial flowering houseplant, valerian has beautiful, scented flowers. It is said that the Roman philosopher Galen prescribed valerian as a cure for insomnia. Currently, it is used as a primary ingredient in products that have sedative effects.22
Recent findings, in fact, back Galen’s theory, as it has been proved that inhaling the scent of valerian can increase the duration of quality sleep.23
Caring for Valerian
- Grow the plant next to a window or in a well-lit room.
- Make sure the plant gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
- Water the valerian every 2 days.
[expert_opinion expertname=’danaclaudat’ opinion=”Once you’ve had a great night’s sleep, you’ll be more focused, productive and in your peak flow of energy. At the office you can bring a small money tree, some succulents or a jade plant to your desk to further enhance the prosperous plant energy in your life all day long!”]
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