How House Plants can Improve Your Health

Did you know that many plants have excellent health benefits? Not only do they purify the air we breathe, but if you get the right plants and strategically place them around your house or workplace, there is no question you will feel a boost in your ability to focus on tasks.

There are many invisible toxins that pollute our air. Although trees and plants are known to provide oxygen in the daytime, they emit carbon dioxide at night. But a few plants such as epiphytic bromeliads, orchids and succulents do just the opposite. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This is why these house plants are ideally placed in bedrooms or inside the house to purify the air around you, particularly during the night.

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What are the most Popular House Plants?

The spider plant purifies the air in your house and removes all traces of formaldehyde, benzene, xylene and carbon monoxide. These are common organic compounds that are discharged into the air by household items such as appliances, carpets and furniture.

Ficus elastica or the rubber plant is another popular plant with leathery, oval shaped leaves. It is one of the most common house plants that remove poisonous substances from the air in your home. As time passes, it becomes more efficient at purifying the air from toxins such as formaldehyde.

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii or Snake plant is a low maintenance house plant. Since it converts carbondioxide into oxygen at night, it should be placed inside your bedroom to clean the air you breathe while sleeping.  

 

 

Where should you Place House Plants?

House plants can be placed anywhere inside or outside your house. However, they should be within your breathing zone to provide a wide range of benefits.

Health Benefits of House Plants

Here are a few ways house plants improve our health:

Purifying Air

One of the most important ways house plants boost our health is by removing toxins from the air. Volatile organic compounds are frequently released into the air that is present inside our house.

House plants remove these common toxins from the air:

• Compounds such as formaldehyde (present in vinyl, rugs, grocery bags and cigarette smoke)
• trichloroethylene and benzene (found in solvents, man-made fibers and paints)
• Benzene (commonly found in libraries or any area where is a lot of printed paper or books lying around)

 

Discharging Water

As part of the respiratory and photosynthetic process, plants produce moisture and vapor that enhance the air-humidity around them. It is important to know that plants release almost 97 percent of the water they take in.

By increasing the humidity of your room you keep all respiratory distresses at bay and maintain a good breathing environment. When several house plants are placed together, you magnify the effect of humidity effect in your room.

Scientists have confirmed that keeping house plants can alleviate symptoms of dry skin, dry coughs and sore throats.

Speedy Recovery

Many hospitals use house plants owing to their countless health benefits. Research into the effects plants in hospital rooms identified a lowered heart rate and reduced blood pressure levels with good recovery signs in patients compared to those that were placed in a room without plants.  

Not just that, adding plants to your office will also decrease the onset of an allergy attack and help steer your clear of developing the frequent symptoms of cold and flu.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Plants are also popularly used inside homes and office buildings for reducing the noise level from busy roads. Lately, interior plants have been successfully used to reduce background noise too. Plants absorb sound and save us from unwanted noises to help us maintain a peaceful atmosphere inside our house.

 

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Bio:

Elena runs maltasothebysrealty.com. After graduating from the university of Oxford business school, she was a volunteer for 1 year with Nature Trust.   She is very passionate about nature conservation and an anti-pollution advocate.