The Best Bedroom Plants
In addition to essentials, such as luxury bedding, bedroom plants are an important element that should be part of your sleep space. You may find that surprising if you've never considered adding plants to your bedroom. After all, many adults are asleep most of the time in their bedrooms, so they don't prioritize their bedroom decor or think adding plants is a priority.
The truth is that every aspect of your bedroom, from the decor to the bedding to the plants, contributes to your sleep environment. Choosing the best colors, decor, bedding, and plants for your bedroom can make the difference between a bedroom that helps you rest and relax and one that undermines your ability to sleep and jeopardizes your health.
Let's take a closer look at some of the best plants for your bedroom, their benefits, and other factors to consider to create the perfect sleep space.
Why Should You Have Plants in Your Bedroom?
The oxygen you inhale travels through your body to your cells, which need oxygen to survive. The oxygen replaces the carbon dioxide, which is removed from your body. Without a steady oxygen supply, your cells stop producing energy and eventually die. Like you, your cells need oxygen to survive.
However, there's good air, and there's bad air. You may have noticed air quality alerts if you live near a forest fire or in an urban area. Often, these alerts will advise you to stay indoors, which means the air inside should be good quality, right? All buildings have air exchange, drawing air in from outdoors. Even if you live in an area with good air quality, devices in your home may pollute your air.
Poor air quality impacts your health. Regularly ingesting polluted air increases your risks of the following severe health issues:
- Asthma: Your risk of getting asthma increases when regularly exposed to polluted air. Poor air quality can also cause asthmatics' to have asthma attacks.
- Cardiovascular disease: Long-term exposure to polluted air increases your chances of stroke or heart disease.
- Developmental impairment: Long-term exposure to air pollution can stunt child development and compromise lung development.
- Lung cancer: Air pollution can cause lung cancer.
- Lung infections: Air pollution increases your risk of developing lung infections.
In addition to these and other severe health issues caused or affected by air pollution, significant or long-term exposure to air pollution can reduce your lifespan.
How Bedroom Plants Affect Your Health
Plants continuously go through a process called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants draw from the air and soil. The carbon dioxide and water taken in by the plants is converted to glucose and oxygen, and the oxygen is released back into the air. This means the plants produce a steady supply of fresh oxygen.
Plants also extract harmful pollutants from the air, purifying it and improving its quality. Indoor plants can reduce the amount of bacteria, mold, and other toxins.
How Bedroom Plants Improve Your Sleep
Ingesting fresh air can improve your mood, help you relax, and help you get a good night's sleep. Breathing fresh air increases your serotonin levels. Since serotonin helps you relax, it makes it easier for you to sleep. Fresh air also helps to lower your heart rate. Since your heart rate lowers when you're asleep, breathing in fresh air gets your body ready to fall and stay asleep.
What Plants Are Good for Bedrooms?
Although all plants have aesthetic benefits, some plants are better at purifying the air and eliminating toxins. The best plants for your bedroom are powerful air purifiers that are easy to care for. It's also important to note that some plants are toxic for pets, and you won't enjoy the full benefits of bedroom plants if you're worried about a potential risk to your pets' health.
You should also consider the amount of natural light the plants need. If you work the night shift and need to keep your curtains closed during the day because that's when you sleep, you should prioritize bedroom plants that thrive in indirect light instead of those that need direct sunlight.
Baby Rubber Plant
Baby rubber plants vary in size, reaching half a foot to a foot tall. They're excellent for air purification and pet-friendly, but they need medium to bright indirect light and plenty of moisture.
Boston Fern Plant
Although these pet-friendly plants are drought-resistant, they favor moisture. They also need access to bright, indirect light for a few hours every day. Benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene are just some of the toxins Boston fern plants are known to eliminate from the air.
Lemon Butter Fern
Lemon butter ferns are excellent air purifiers that are safe for pets and reach approximately ten inches in height. They do need a steady supply of bright, indirect sunlight.
Money Tree Plant
Money tree plants are pet-friendly trees that can grow taller than the average person, so you must consider size when choosing money tree plants for your bedroom. They do benefit from bright, indirect light. They're excellent for purifying the air and eliminating toxins, such as formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Neoregelia Bromeliad
These pet-friendly plants are fantastic, low-maintenance plants. They thrive in low light, and they don't need much water, either. These plants also add color to your room while removing benzene, formaldehyde, and other toxins from the air. They come in varying sizes, from a few inches to a few feet, so you can find neoregelia bromeliad plants to fit your bedroom.
Ponytail Palm Tree
Ponytail palm trees are a pet-friendly option that needs sunlight to thrive. Extra large variants can grow to over three feet tall, so it's crucial to order the appropriate size for your bedroom. Like all other plants on this list, ponytail palm trees do a fantastic job of purifying the air.
Spider Plant
Spider plants do an excellent job removing toxins from the air and are safe for pets. They require several hours of indirect sunlight daily.
Four Ways To Create a Better Sleep Space
The right bedding and colors can help soothe your mind and body so that you can get the rest you need. Rooms with bright colors, busy patterns, and clutter can activate your mind and make it hard to relax. Overheating can also make it hard to stay asleep.
Calm Colors
Natural colors, such as green, tan, blue, and white, help you relax so you can sleep. Pairing tan and green duvets or comforters with your bedroom plants is a great way to create a soothing sleep environment.
Find the perfect duvet cover for your sleep sanctuary.
Simple Designs
Opt for solid colors when choosing wall art and bedding. Since busy patterns and intricate designs can stimulate your brain, surrounding yourself with simple colors is the perfect way to help your brain shut down so you're ready to sleep.
Decluttering
Under-bed storage can help maximize storage space and keep your room tidy. Adding a bed skirt to your bed can keep your under-bed storage from becoming an eyesore that makes you feel pressured to start cleaning at bedtime.
Soothing Temperatures
Cotton is a popular fabric for bedding because it's breathable. Choose breathable fabrics that help you stay dry and prevent overheating, enabling you to avoid waking up because you're too warm.
Colors, Bedroom Plants, and More for the Perfect Sleep Space
When choosing bedroom accessories and patterned sheets, it's crucial to consider the colors and fabrics. Adding air-purifying plants to your bedroom will help you relax and turn your bedroom into an oasis of calm where you can get the sleep you need.
Sources:
How can plants improve air quality? (2019).
How Lungs Work. (2023).
Landman, K. (2022). Our buildings are making us sick.
Photosynthesis. (2024).
