I used to live in a home that had a beautiful jasmine bush outside my bedroom window. On nights when weather permitted I would open my bedroom window and let the fragrance drift into my bedroom. The smell of jasmine permeated the air and I became so relaxed, falling asleep so easily. I never really understood why fragrance helped me relax but it did. I slept so deep and peacefully.
Now NASA scientists are saying for a good nights sleep there are certain plants we should have in our bedroom. Plants that protect us from colds, viruses, airborne chemicals and molds, and finally help us get a great nights sleep.
The Best Plants for Sleep
Peace Lilies
The Peace Lily, also known as the White Sail Plant or Spathiphyllum, is one of the most popular plants to grow indoors. If people only knew that it filters out five dangerous toxins from the air, it would be the most popular of all!
The toxins include benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and ammonia.
Peace lilies are one of the most beautiful houseplants you can grow, if only for the dark green foliage that gracefully arches over. But I don’t think I’m alone in saying that most of us grow them for the gorgeous white blossoms that develop on top of slender, straight stems. The contrast between these blooms and the dark foliage is what makes peace lilies so beautiful.
Peace Lilies are so effective that it was rated as one of the best indoor plants to remove air pollution by NASA.
French Lavender
You’ve probably heard of Lavender extracts used in essential oils before. It’s a low maintenance plant with a sophisticated purple color and emits a pleasant fragrance, making it a perfect-fit if you want a plant that takes care of itself with a little check up every now and then.
Lavender is commonly known for its relaxant properties – helping those who suffer from insomnia, restlessness and similar conditions, which makes it a perfect plant to induce sleep.
Place indoor lavender plants near a bright south-facing window. Most plants won’t fit on a window ledge, so use a small table or plant stand to get your plant near the sun.
Snake Plant
The Snake Plant, or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, is one of the most recommended plants for improving air quality. The optimal place to keep this relatively inexpensive and low-maintenance plant is the bedroom because it converts CO2 into oxygen at night.
In its roundup of the best cheap plants for improving indoor air quality, Wisebread notes that Mother-in-Law’s Tongue is recommended by a NASA study (which lists at least a dozen air-improving plants) and researcher Kamal Meattle, who has shown us that just three common houseplants can improve indoor air.
Spider Plant
The spider plant is another one of those low-maintenance but high-reward plants that are great at improving the quality of the air. This plant goes toe-to-toe with the harmful chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and xylene; chemicals which have shown to cause headaches and brain fog.
Also known as airplane plants, spider plants are also easy to regrow. Just cut off one of the “spiders” and place it in a pot. Spider plants are incredibly easy to grow, but thrive in cool-to-average home temperatures and prefer dry soil. Bright indirect sunlight keeps them growing best.
Aloe Vera
The majority of people use it specifically for its skin-healing properties, commonly being used to help heal cuts and wounds. However, most people don’t know that it also helps with improving the quality of your sleep! This is because Aloe Vera helps to fight the harmful toxins that float around, helping improve the quality of the air whilst you sleep (also NASA approved).
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Learn MoreFortunately, she’s one of those plants that require little work and you can still reap the benefits that it has to offer. There are two main reasons why Aloe Vera plants die: either they get watered too often, or they don’t have room for the water to drain from the soil. Avoid these two problems, and you’re all set.
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen is one of the more popular houseplants because it can withstand multiple environmental conditions (no water, no light, low levels of humidity) better than the majority of other house plants. They have long, pointy dark-green leaves with patterns of white, grey and cream throughout the leaves, which give it a distinctive look, and they usually grow anywhere from 2 to 3 feet.
Chinese Evergreen plants help you sleep because they’re effective at cleaning the air that’s riddled with air pollutants and toxins. These toxins can cause a number of diseases and harm your respiratory system, so it’s important to have clean air to prevent these illnesses and help you sleep at night.
English Ivy
English ivy has long been a popular houseplant. It is easy to grow and does not need much sun to flourish. Ivy is a powerful air filter, capable of absorbing large amounts of formaldehyde. Keeping it in your bedroom will significantly improve your sleep.
Chamomile
The tops of these pretty daisy-like flowers are have been used to make a calming and soothing tea for hundreds of years. The same tops are also used to make extracts, capsules, and pills. Chamomile as a topical cream is also quite effective at reducing inflammation, redness, and itchiness of the skin and the scalp.
There are so many more plants we can put into our bedroom to ensure clean healthy air, and a great nights sleep. When choosing a plant please check if the plant is poisonous for pets and small children. Not only will it help with keeping the environment pure, but plants also have a way of calming us.
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