Are Plants Disturbing your Sleep?

It certainly brightens your mood when you enter a room with plants.  But why? There are tons of proven studies that plants are excellent for your health. Indoor plants actually improve your concentration and productivity by up to 15 percent, reduce stress levels and boost your mood. Not only is it a perfect fit for your home but also at work. Plants release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide which helps freshen up the air and eliminate those harmful toxins. There is research from NASA that houseplants can remove up to 87% of air toxins within 24 hours!! 

Plants help change our mental attitude by looking at the color of green and reminding us of the peacefulness of nature. People who have house plants will start to notice improvements to their health, and overall happiness. In addition, it enhances your mood that creates a soothing space. Plants can also help those who battle with depression since caring for others or a living thing makes it rewarding and a purpose in life.  The responsibility for something else or someone since they soley rely on you in order to survive deflects the issues you may have for oneself. 

How can Plants Disturb your Sleep? 

Its simple and most plants during the nights do the opposite by releasing carbon dioxide. Your bedroom will be filled with carbon dioxide, which can cause Hypercapnia, a condition where there is an abnormally high concentration of carbon dioxide in your blood. This condition generally increases your breathing pattern to access more oxygen. Your brain regulates the amount of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. So when your bedroom is filled with carbon dioxide, your breathing patterns will adjust, even when you’re asleep. You will tend to over-breathe with short and frequent breaths to compensate for the higher levels of carbon dioxide. This change of breathing pattern is how your sleep is disrupted. While you’re asleep, you will turn your head abruptly or move around in bed as you gasp for more oxygen. When there is too much oxygen it keeps us awake. For example, when you exercise your blood circulates and heart rate increases which brings more oxygen to your brain. When this happens, your mind becomes sharp and your drowsiness usually goes away. This is why people feel alert and awake right after a good exercise. Also, other sources teach us how to stay awake by practicing diaphragm breathing or deep breathing which increases your oxygen intake and  blood circulation thus giving you more energy. 

What to do?

So, if you have plants that releases oxygen at night in your bedroom, you may find it harder to fall asleep, as you are likely to be more alert and energetic. Even if you’re asleep, you may find yourself only “sleeping lightly”, which is quite the opposite of what you want.

Well, the good news this isn’t with all plants. Some plants do not release carbon dioxide at night. Some actually do the reverse, where they release carbon dioxide during the day and oxygen at night. There are plants such as orchids, succulents, snake plants and bromeliads that do the opposite and emit oxygen making them perfect plants for the bedroom (getting better sleep).

The wonderful thing about plants is that they are beneficial for our mood and health.  But just remember if you plan to put any plants in your bedroom just make sure it is the right type of plant!