17 Benefits of Houseplants: Why You Need Indoor Plants
At Homefulness we are big fans of houseplants and believe that they are a fantastic addition to any room in the home and can bring with them many advantages! Not only do houseplants look great and brighten up our homes, but they support human health too.
Keep reading to discover 17 health benefits of having indoor plants in your home and find out why houseplants are just so good for us.
Reasons to Get Indoor Plants
1. Improve Mood
Research shows that being around plants makes us happy! Having plants in our environment can provide positive energy and help us to maintain a positive state of mind creating a sense of happiness. Could there be a better reason to add some houseplants in your home?
2. Reduce Fatigue
Houseplants have been shown to help reduce fatigue when added to an indoor environment, serving as a reminder for us to to slow down, with wellness expert Emma Wills explaining that, ‘plants remind us of a natural, simple way of living. A pace of life that is slower yet still incredibly intelligent, beautiful and efficient’ - we couldn’t agree more!
3. Lower Stress and Anxiety
A huge benefit of houseplants is that they have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. A 2007 study found a bacterium in plant soil called Mycobacterium vaccae that triggers the release of serotonin, which lifts mood and reduces anxiety, showing that interaction with indoor or outdoor plants can alleviate symptoms of depression.
4. Improve Air Quality
Houseplants can have some really effective air cleaning qualities around the home. A study by Birmingham University recently found that by having houseplants you have potential to significantly reduce air pollution in your home. Researchers showed that, ‘during a series of experiments monitoring common houseplants exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a common pollutant – researchers calculated that in some conditions, the plants could be able to reduce NO2 by as much as 20 per cent’.
5. Improve Focus
Indoor plants contribute to cleaner air, a better state of mind and a healthier environment. The knock-on effect of this greener living space is the houseplants ability to improve concentration and focus which is especially important if your home is also your workspace. A research study conducted at Exeter University in the U.K. found that indoor plants can improve concentration, productivity and staff well-being by 47%.
6. Improve Sleep
Do you struggle to fall asleep or often wake up at night? Air-purifying indoor plants can help you! These plants create a better air climate in your bedroom by generating more oxygen. Consider incorporating these plants on bedside tables or on the wall above your bed for the benefit of your sleep cycle.
7. Help Prevent Allergies
Whilst not all houseplants are great for those that suffer with allergies, certain varieties actually have huge allergy prevention benefits by filtering allergy inducing compounds out of the air. Research has also shown that children with plants in their home from an early age have a lower risk of allergies.
8. Improve Acoustics in the Home
Another benefit you may not have considered that houseplants bring to the table is household acoustics! By adding a selection of plants to your home you can create a quieter living and workspace, with Omysa stating that ‘sound absorbing indoor plants can absorb up to 50% of the sound energy in your home’.
9. Improve the Comfort of Any Room
Not only do indoor plants add colour and liveliness to your home but they can also change the physical aspects of the environment in a pleasant way. “Plants can be used to increase the relative humidity indoors, reduce noise, screen unattractive areas, and moderate room temperature by shading a bright, sunny window,” says Horticultural Expert Gary, L Altman. At Homefulness we think it’s a great idea, before filling a room with furniture and accessories and organising, to take some time to think about how you want to feel in that room and how plants might help you achieve that vibe.
10. Provide You with a Sense of Accomplishment
Owning and caring for houseplants can provide you with a great sense of accomplishment! A study, where residents in an assisted-living facility potted plants and learned how to care for them at home, showed an improvement in the residents’ quality of life. This was said to be due to a feeling of accomplishment or the companionship people felt with their plants. Gwenn Fried, manager of Horticulture Therapy at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation comments that, “In my experience, anyone who plants something will then take better care of it and nurture it—being able to nurture is part of the human experience and brings joy.”
11. Help Promote Healing
Surrounding ourselves with plants has been proven to aid with faster healing from injury and illness. Plants create a surrounding in which we feel protected and safe, which in turn allows our bodies to focus and our energy into healing. Researchers at Kansas State University found that patients with plants in their rooms required less pain medication and felt less anxiety. Some indoor plants can even be used to soothe and heal injuries e.g. aloe vera for sunburn.
12. Boosts Immune System
Incorporating plants into your home can help to boost your immune system. We already spoke about how plants are good for your mental health and of course, your mental and physical health are linked. When you’re feeling less stressed and more relaxed your immune system can work optimally!
13. Provide House Decoration
Houseplants are an excellent way to add inexpensive decoration to a room. Most indoor plants are reasonably priced and offer a beautiful addition to your space. With so many varieties you’ll never be stuck for options either! If you’re up for a challenge you can always try growing one from seed!
14. Fend off Headaches
Houseplants can have great air purifying properties which can help to prevent headaches. Researchers discovered that plants can help remove benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde from the air. Formaldehyde, a common cause of headaches, is a gas that is produced in the production of leather and some carpets and can be present in homes.
15. Improve Relationships
Who’d have thought indoor plants could help improve relationships? When you have houseplants in your home, you are caring for living things which require care and compassion. You can end up feeling empathy for the plants, which in turn can then lead to a sense of compassion and empathy for other people in your life!
16. Release Pleasant Scents
Many of us like our home to not only look good but smell good too! Certain varieties of indoor plants produce subtle scents that will make your home smell better than any scented candle or diffuser! Our favourites are lavender, jasmine and eucalyptus.
17. Add Humidity to The Home
Did you know that plants release almost all of the water they take in! This is great news in your home as the water released from indoor plants will help to improve your air quality and your health. The humidity plants release can also help fight colds and decrease dust in the air.
Unlike other items in the home, we believe that with houseplants, the more the merrier! If you need help decluttering to make space for plants in your home, don’t hesitate to get in touch; Homefulness is here to help!
