These Five House Plants Will Better Your Sleep

Those with a green thumb know that plants are so much more than decoration. Gardening and growing plants indoors have many psychological benefits. They are even sometimes recommended as a form of therapy for those who have been under a lot of stress or battling a chronic illness. 

With these effects and the subtle and calming scents that some emit, house plants can help us improve our sleep—some more than others.

Curious yet? Here are the top five plants that can make your bedroom the perfect sleep environment.

Snake Plant

You may have heard of this plant under a different name, for instance, sansevieria, or mother-in-law’s tongue. Snake plants are also often dubbed “every interior designer’s dream” because their unique, sculptural look can easily be combined with almost any style. What’s more, snake plants don’t require a lot of light, and they’re among the easiest plants to care for. Wherever you put them—including your bedroom—they’ll look great. 

The findings of a study conducted by NASA in 1989 suggested that the snake plant, along with a number of other common house plants, can filter out a variety of air pollutants like xylene, trichloroethylene, toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde from air. Pure air means effective breathing, thus a restful night’s sleep. That being said, subsequent studies have failed to replicate the results of the NASA study. That means you shouldn’t rush to replace your bedroom air purifier with a bunch of snake plants, but adding one or two can’t hurt. Besides, they do look fabulous.

Gardenia

Gardenia’s scent is praised for its calming effect. It’s efficient in making people sleepy and leads to better quality of sleep. A bonus to growing a gardenia is its beautiful white flowers. The downside—the high maintenance level it requires.

Lavender

Because of its calming scent, lavender is the ultimate sleep-inducer that can diminish stress and make you calm enough to doze off. 

Lavender is so effective that it is an unavoidable ingredient in effective sleep-inducing essential oils. Also, together with valerian, it features the most potent natural sleep aids, both fresh and dry.

Jasmine

This is another stunner in the category of sleep-helping plants that can make you sleep longer and better. Due to its delightful fragrance, jasmine is a popular plant, featured in over 80% of women’s fragrances. 

Peace Lily

Another plant featured in the NASA Clean Air Study, peace lily is a beautiful house plant with delicate, mildly scented white flowers. It’s known to increase air humidity, which is not just important for plants—people, too, can benefit from higher humidity levels in many ways.