Surprising Health Benefits of Houseplants

Incorporating houseplants into your home décor is a great way to add a pop of colour and visual interest, but did you know that they can also provide a number of benefits for both your physical and mental health?

Not only are they an excellent way to promote creativity and foster a connection with nature, but they can also promote stress and healing, improve indoor air quality and reduce chronic health issues!

Below, plants expert Calum Maddock at HomeHow.co.uk goes over some of the ways your houseplants can begin improving your health today:

Stress Relief

As many of us know, interacting with the natural world can be a great way to relieve stress. Whether it is taking a walk through a park or forest, or simply working in the garden, the natural world can help us to become more present and cope better with daily stresses.

But it’s not just getting outdoors that counts – gardening indoors with houseplants can help too! Studies show that working with houseplants can greatly reduce common signs of stress such as high cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate. Simple tasks such as potting and watering plants can work wonders in easing your mind.

Increased Productivity

Having real plants in the house can help boost your mental health, allowing you to become more creative, attentive, and productive. Adding greenery to offices and classrooms has been shown to boost productivity levels and increase satisfaction and enjoyment of the tasks at hand.

The same goes for in your home, whether you have set up a home office or study area or simply want to get to work on your latest personal project, surrounding yourself with houseplants can really help you to get into the right mindset. Whilst reasons for this are not yet fully understood, evidence links it to the oxygenating abilities of houseplants.

Allergy Relief

Houseplants can drastically decrease dust and mould spores in indoor air, which can greatly improve your respiratory health and reduce some of the most common allergens. While there are many great houseplants to choose from when it comes to improving air quality, some of the best plants for the job include Chinese evergreens, English ivy, and peace lilies.

Certain plants, like the peace lily, can collect pollen and pollutants in their leaves, helping to clean the air in your home. Plants such as the spider plant and Boston fern are hypoallergenic, meaning they do not produce airborne pollen and are ideal plants for hay fever sufferers.

Increased Moisture Levels

During photosynthesis, plants release oxygen, but they also release water vapour into the air, which increases the humidity levels in your home. This is especially helpful during the dry winter months when artificial heating can be detrimental to your respiratory system and your skin.

Increasing indoor humidity levels through houseplants can improve your respiratory health and is ideal for those who suffer from conditions such as asthma, as well as combating issues like dry, frizzy hair and parched winter skin.

Improved Sleep

There are multiple benefits of having plants in your bedroom. Lush greenery and vibrant flowers can add charm and cosiness that is highly conducive to creating an environment for rest and relaxation. Furthermore, plants’ oxygen-boosting abilities can also work wonders for a good night’s sleep.

Houseplants will absorb carbon dioxide and release it back into the air as oxygen, which has been shown to promote deeper, more restorative sleep. Some of the best oxygenating plants to add to your bedroom include snake plants, money plants, and areca palms.

Combat Anxiety and Depression

Caring for houseplants has been shown to help ease signs of stress, but it can also boost your mood in general and even reduce signs and symptoms of chronic conditions such as depression and anxiety. Learning to nurture a living plant may help lower anxiety, improve attention, and lessen the severity of depression.

Taking care of plants helps to provide you with a sense of purpose and can provide a positive distraction. On top of this, a particular bacterium that is found in indoor and outdoor soil actually triggers the release of serotonin, which improves both emotional and mental health.

Reduced Sound Pollution

Sound pollution from outdoor traffic, noisy neighbours, loud electronics, etc., can be taxing on our health in ways such as increasing stress levels and reducing sleep quality. Here is where houseplants can help again – many can help to reduce unwanted sounds by deflecting, absorbing, or refracting noise pollution.

Placing a few large plants against an exterior window or wall can help to buffer any unwanted sounds from outside that keep you up at night, helping to maintain a calm and relaxing environment in your home. Some of the best plants for this include broad-leafed varieties such as rubber plants and weeping figs.

Improved Healing

It is common practice to bring a bouquet of flowers or other plant gift to loved ones when they are healing from an illness or surgery – but did you know it could actually speed up the healing process?

Many studies have shown that exposure to plants and greenery can reduce recovery time and even lessen dependence on painkillers during healing. So next time you find yourself or a loved one healing, take advantage of some beautiful houseplants such as orchids and peace lilies to get you back on your feet quicker!

Medicinal Uses

Lastly, the benefits of an indoor garden can go beyond the powers that plants hold whilst on display – many herbs grown in your home can then be used for medicinal purposes, such as to aid digestion. Mints may help calm down issues such as gas and bloating, and basil can also help to calm your stomach when steeped in hot water and ingested.

Lavender makes for a wonderful herbal medicine, whether inhaled, massaged onto the skin for aromatherapy, or boiled in leaves for tea. And of course, don’t forget aloe, which is perfect for treating minor burns and soothing skin conditions such as psoriasis!

Final Thoughts

Houseplants make a charming, aesthetically pleasing addition to any home, but are so much more than that. From their ability to boost emotional and mental health, speed up healing times, and improve indoor air quality, they offer countless benefits.

Whether you are new to houseplants or a lifelong enthusiast, the growing of plants indoors is an enriching hobby which can work wonders for your health.

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