Houseplants in the bedroom

Houseplants in the Bedroom: The Seeds of Better Sleep

Houseplants can prove invaluable when supporting the main purpose of your bedroom, which is, of course, sleep. The choice of plant, its location, and the care needed to maintain it all come into play when deciding how to use houseplants in the bedroom to enhance your sleep.

The Role of Plants (and Nature) to Your Sleep Health

Nature plays an important role in your physical and mental health. To get adequate rest, your mind and body need to be able to relax from the pressure of daily life. That’s where houseplants come in. Taking a walk in a natural environment reduces activity in the part of the brain responsible for anxiety and depression. We’ve talked about Nature Deficit Disorder before! It also reduces the amount of time spent ruminating or negatively thinking about oneself.

Houseplants on a windowsill

Nature also has a restorative effect on the mind. The quiet and peace that come from a natural setting restores the brain’s ability to focus and pay attention. While you don’t need to concentrate to fall asleep, you do need the relaxed mind and body that come from time spent in nature. It allows you to leave behind the effects of the tension and stress that come with a busy lifestyle.

All the benefits of nature can be incorporated into your bedroom with the strategic use of houseplants.

How to Successfully Use Houseplants in the bedroom for Better Sleep

1. Take a Good Look at Your Lifestyle

No one wants to be responsible for the death of a plant. For that reason, consider how much maintenance you’re willing to do. Your schedule and personality can help you narrow down your plant choices. For example, the pothos plant can thrive in most light conditions and only needs watering when the dirt starts to feel dry, about once a week. (It can also remove formaldehyde from the air.) However, the stems may need to be trimmed once in a while as they can grow to be eight feet long or longer. Other plants like the aloe vera need a consistent room temperature but infrequent watering.

Before you decide on a plant, consider your climate, lighting conditions, and make sure it fits with your lifestyle.

2. Look for Areas that Connect the Houseplant with the Outdoors

You’re essentially trying to connect yourself with the outdoors. A houseplant acts as a transition piece.  A fiddle leaf fig with its large leaves can fill an unused bedroom corner and transition you to the outdoors beautifully when placed next to French doors that open to a backyard patio. A spider plant placed on a windowsill can make the room feel like you never left the outdoors. The spider plant is also one of the easiest houseplants to maintain and it removes biotoxins from the air. It also fits well with modern designs because of the vertical growth of the leaves add a geometric feel.

3. Use Vases/Pot as Artwork

The vase or pot in which the plant lives serves more than a practical purpose. A clear glass bowl can be used to house and unify several potted plants. A round vase can work beautifully against the linear angles of a roof line or window. Vases can feature everything from shells and glass mosaic to fruit or grecian designs.

4. Add Texture

Many plants have ribbed, smooth, or textured leaves that add depth to your interior. You can soften the room with the smooth leaves of jade or up the intensity with a geometric snake plant. By looking at all aspects of the plant, you can use it to make a bold statement while helping yourself sleep better simply through the addition of having houseplants in your bedroom.

Before you know it, you’ll be drifting off to sleep tucked under your favourite blanket surrounded by hints of nature. It may only take one or two nature-themed pieces to make your bedroom the natural oasis you need for better sleep.

This guest post was provided by Katie Phillips from Mattress Reviews.