Gone are the days where tending to plants were reserved for those who call themselves a green thumb. People used to see gardening only as an outdoor hobby, but the rise of indoor plants has made taking care of plants more fun and accessible for everyone.
Keeping plants indoors, whether it’s for aesthetics, a hobby, or for maintaining good air quality has seen a rise in popularity, especially as we’ve spent more time indoors.
The bedroom is also a popular place to deck out with plants. It might mainly be for design and style purposes, but did you know that some plants out there can help improve your sleep? Let’s look at the eight best plants to keep in your bedroom.
Snake Plant
The Snake Plant (also known as Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, St George’s Sword, and Viper’s Bowstring Hemp) is a great indoor plant to keep in the bedroom because it is easy to maintain.
Snake plants can survive without being watered for quite some time, plus they can withstand overwatering and can adapt to different lighting conditions.
Apart from their hardiness, snake plants are also very common because of their mass propagation in Asia, Africa, and even in sub-tropical parts of Europe.
What makes the Snake Plant great for your bedroom is that it can help in managing your air quality. Because of its vast surface area and leaf density, it’s very efficient at converting carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen.
Snake plants are also found to be effective at eliminating xylenes, formaldehyde, toluene, benzenes, and trichloroethylene that may be present in the air you’re breathing as you sleep.
Peace Lily
Peace Lilies are a favourite of NASA when it comes to cleaning indoor air. It’s been found that this plant can neutralise the presence of harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde, in the air, as well as carbon monoxide.
Peace Lilies bear beautiful white flowers that can be a stunning addition to the bedroom when bloomed.
One thing to note about Peace Lilies is that you need to give them enough sunlight, preferably indirect light as to not dry out their leaves. The more indirect sunlight a peace lily can get, the more white flowers it will produce.
NOTE: Peace Lilies are not pet friendly, and can be fatal for birds and cats. Please be cautious if you’ve got this plant as well as pets.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant is widely popular for its medicinal effects. The extract of aloe vera has been used in many commercial products such as shampoos, moisturisers and creams.
Despite its many commercial uses, aloe vera is a fairly common plant to have and grow. Aloe vera is a succulent plant, meaning that moisture is kept inside its leaves and requires minimal watering.
Just like the Snake Plant and the Peace Lily, aloe vera is excellent at clearing the air in your room and keeping it free from pollutants, helping you get a good night’s sleep.
Apart from serving as an air purifier, aloe vera is also a plant that’s nice to have at home as you can use its leaves as first aid treatment for insect bites, dried and chafed skin, and even treating minor cuts and burns.
English Ivy
Although not as commonly seen in bedrooms due to its vine-like nature, the English Ivy can be a great addition to your house plants. English Ivy is extremely effective in clearing the air from mould.
One thing you should know about the English Ivy is that it’s a climber. The plant tends to grow out of its pot, which may require some maintaining, trimming or repotting.
A great way to manage your English Ivy is to keep them in hanging baskets placed high above the bedroom. This allows them to grow more freely.
Other than keeping it from growing too much, English Ivies are easy to take care of. All you need is to keep its soil moist and place them in indirect sunlight, and your plant will thrive.
Golden Pothos
Another addition to the list of air-purifying plants is the Golden Pothos. This plant is excellent at keeping your indoor air clean and free from harmful chemicals.
One of the appeals of the Golden Pothos to indoor plant enthusiasts or those new to plants is that it’s super low maintenance.
Golden Pothos plants can survive in bright light, indirect light, and even in low light conditions, which is not common for most plants.
Lavender Plant
Unlike those mentioned earlier, lavender plants aren’t the first choice when it comes to air purifying plants. Instead, keeping a lavender plant in your bedroom will give off an incredible scent, which is commonly used for aromatherapy and is great for sleep.
There’s a reason why lavender essential oils are one of the most common diffused oils and often added to humidifiers. The fragrance of lavender plants are known to have a calming effect and have been shown to lower heart rate, which can promote deep sleep.
Gardenias
Another plant that helps to improve the quality of sleep are gardenias. Gardenias are used for their natural sedative properties, often added in teas and essential oils.
The fragrance from gardenias is also found to deepen your sleep and may reduce the frequency of waking up in the middle of the night.
One downside of having gardenias in the bedroom is maintenance, as taking care of gardenias is considerably more effort than the other plants on this list.
Areca Palm
Adding to the list of plants that promote clean air in the bedroom is the Areca Palm. More than its air-purifying properties, having an Areca Palm helps out in balancing humidity levels.
Areca Palms grow as tall as seven feet, and they also grow fast. Because of its size, these can serve as great decor inside the bedroom, but be mindful as the size of the plant may make your bedroom feel crowded if it is small.
If you plan to have one in the bedroom, keep it closer to your window as Areca Palms enjoy a healthy amount of bright light. Just avoid direct sunlight as this might dry out the leaves quickly.
Time to Go Plant Shopping!
Keeping plants in your bedroom has plenty of benefits, especially when it comes to purifying the air. Sleeping in a room with clean air allows you to breathe better when you sleep, which is especially amazing for people with allergies or other respiratory conditions.
Plants are also great to add a bit of natural decor and greenery into the space. Happy gardening!