The Health Benefits of Having Plants in Your Home
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
My mom has always had a green thumb, and I used to love helping her in the garden when I was younger. As I got older and tried to follow in her footsteps, I learned the hard way that gardening skills aren't exactly my forte. I did discover, however, that I do need plants around me, in some form or another. Having real, natural greenery has a significant impact on my mood, and over the years, I've learned it also improves my sleep, air quality, productivity, and more.
I’ve gradually filled my home with plants, from small potted varieties to larger statement pieces, and the benefits have been surprisingly powerful.
It turns out that nature plays a much bigger role in our well-being than we often realize.
1. Lower Stress and Anxiety
One of the reasons I love plants around me is because it feels a bit more peaceful and as woo-woo as it sounds, there’s research backing up this shift. A systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that indoor plants can notably lower anxiety, with participants showing a 2.53 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure, linked to reduced stress. Additionally, another study found that interacting with indoor plants helps alleviate stress by lowering diastolic blood pressure and calming the nervous system, leading to a more relaxed and comfortable state compared to mental tasks.
Years of evolution have ingrained in our brains that natural green colors are helpful and safe, signaling environments that provided shelter, food, and well-being to our ancestors. This deep connection to nature is rooted in our biology, and we seem to thrive in this natural environment as it evokes a sense of calm and security.
2. Improved Air Quality
When I was young, I thought my home was a sanctuary away from the pollutants of the outside world, but it turns out that the air inside your home can be incredibly more polluted. The EPA found that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and in some cases, it can even be 100 times more polluted. This indoor air pollution can decrease sleep by 30 minutes or more. One study found an association between indoor air pollutants and reduced sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and blood saturation levels, especially in the summertime.
When I first learned this and we were having our first child, I did two things: bought a reputable HEPA air purifier and added more plants around the home. A NASA study showed that certain indoor plants can filter out common household toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. Plants like the spider plant, peace lily, and snake plant have been shown to absorb these pollutants, making the air cleaner and safer to breathe. Other research has found that having plants indoors can reduce airborne toxins by 10-25%.
Clean air equals better breathing, less irritation, and overall better sleep (more on this below). I personally noticed the difference in my energy levels and sleep quality after adding both an air purifier and a few air-purifying plants to the house.
3. Better Productivity and Focus
I wasn’t expecting this one. Several studies support this claim, including one from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, which found that office workers who had plants in their workspace had higher levels of concentration and were more satisfied with their jobs. The study concluded that plants contribute to a more positive and productive environment by reducing stress and increasing overall well-being. Workers were 12-15% more productive, with fewer sick days and better moods.
If you’re finding it hard to focus, the four things I most commonly recommend to change in the environment are:
Grounding
Changing the lights
Using a standing desk
Having plants around you
These are all simple changes that have been shown to impact your productivity and mental health.
4. Better Sleep Quality
Research shows that certain plants can improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation. Plants like lavender and jasmine have been found to have calming effects that can help you unwind before bed. One study found that those who slept with lavender oil nearby had better sleep quality, deeper sleep, and even experienced less anxiety. Lavender has been linked to a 20% increase in the time spent in deep sleep, a crucial phase for recovery.
I’m learning about this now in doing my research for this article, but it’s now something I plan to try to get better sleep. I’ll start with our essential oils diffuser and an organic lavender essential oil.
5. Boosts Mental Health
It’s no secret that spending time in nature is good for your mental health. But what if you could bring nature inside? That’s exactly what biophilic design encourages—creating spaces that connect us with the natural world, even if we’re indoors. Biophilia refers to the innate human connection to nature, and studies have shown that incorporating natural elements into indoor spaces can reduce feelings of depression by 15-25%, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. People who spend time in nature report 20-30% higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
I’m a firm believer in this idea. Our modern world reeks of nature deficit disorder, and while living in nature for at least a minimum of 3 days at a time has been shown to have substantial effects on your health, any type of exposure to nature can also have a beneficial impact, including indoor plants. Whether it’s a few succulents on the windowsill or a Gardyn Studio in the corner like we have, plants bring a sense of nature that our body subconsciously craves.
Practical Ways to Bring Plants Into Your Life
Okay, plants are really good for your health. Now, let’s talk about how to bring them into your home.
1. Best Plants for Health
Spider Plant: Great for purifying the air and easy to care for. It's one of the best plants for beginners.
Peace Lily: Known for removing toxins from the air and helping to improve air quality.
Snake Plant: Tough as nails and a great air purifier, it thrives in low light and is virtually impossible to kill.
2. Plants for People Who Aren’t the Gardening Type
ZZ Plant: Low maintenance, can survive in low light, and doesn’t require frequent watering.
Aloe Vera: Not only is it a low-maintenance plant, but it also has health benefits for your skin.
Pothos: Another easy-to-care-for option that can tolerate almost any light condition and doesn’t need frequent watering.
3. My Favorite Option: The Gardyn Studio
The Gardyn Studio
If you’re looking for a simple and effective way to grow plants in your home, I highly recommend the Gardyn Studio. It’s basically a very smart, compact, and beautiful vertical garden for the house. You can grow up to 16 plants at once in just 1.4 square feet of space. You pick from over 100 plant varieties (all 100% pesticide-free and non-GMO), including everything from leafy greens to herbs. You can harvest up to 5 pounds of fresh food per month!
It also has a self-watering feature where you put the water in the base, and it brings that to the plants at the appropriate time. The same goes for the lighting system, which automatically goes on and off.
We recently discovered this, and it has been awesome. It makes our house brighter and much more beautiful, and the kids love waking up each morning to see what new buds have sprouted or what food has emerged.
It’s now my favorite way to improve my stress, productivity, sleep, and mental health.
