Do you feel stress creeping up on you during the day? It's no secret that stress can have negative effects on our health, but did you know that plants can help reduce stress levels? According to recent studies, having plants in our environment can help improve our mood and lower stress levels. If you're looking for an easy way to keep the stress away, buy a plant a day (well, not literally)! Here are five reasons why plants can help reduce stress:
A Breathe Of Fresh Air
Plants help us breathe easier. When we're stressed, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Plants can help regulate our breathing and improve the quality of the air we breathe by absorbing environmental toxins and increasing healthy oxygen levels. Not only this, but plants are also able to absorb toxins from indoor air and convert and release them as harmless by-products. Say hello to great quality air, especially if you live in the city.
A Mood Booster!
Plants boost our mood. Studies have shown that being around plants can improve our mood and mental well-being. Plants can help us feel more relaxed and reduce stress levels. A study in 2007 showed that there’s a bacterium in plant soil called Mycobacterium vaccae that triggers the release of serotonin. Serotonin is the hormone that helps to stabilize moods, regulate feelings of well-being and happiness, regulate anxiety, and control sleep. Therefore, its seen to alleviate symptoms of depression when you interact with indoor or outdoor plants.
A Natural Stress-Reliever
Plants are natural stress-relievers. Touching or interacting with plants can help reduce stress hormones in the body. Simply petting a plant or taking a moment to smell a flower can help lower stress levels. Oranges, grapes, mangos, lemons, basil, and lavender are perfect flowers/foods for smelling and the best part is that some of these plants are easy to grow in your own garden.
And it’s also to be believed that working in the garden can reduce cortisol levels a chemical your body produces in response to stress) even more than reading a book!
Helps Us to Focus
Plants help us focus. When we're surrounded by plants, we're more likely to feel calm and focused. Having plants in our environment can help us stay on task and reduce stress levels. Research that was conducted at Exeter University, showed that there was an improvement in concentration, productivity and staff well-being when indoor plants where present in the room by 47% and it also improved memory by up to 20%. Not only this, other studies have shown that it can boost a host of other cognitive skills such as creative thinking, spatial processing and more. Its believed this happened because of the plant’s stimulating colours, energizing aromas and oxygenating abilities as well as the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide for optimal brain function.
Improves Physical Health
Plants improve our physical health. Studies have shown that plants can help improve our physical health by reducing stress levels. Stress that is left unchecked can impact health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Plants can also help purify the air and reduce noise pollution, which can lead to better sleep and overall health.
Plants That You Should Get Your Hands On!
Peace Lily
Reduces benzene and formaldehyde in the air which tend to cause health issues in people, according to NASA clean air study. Also, the plant helps relieve anxiety and other forms of headaches with its blooms. Not only this, it’s very easy to look after, as it doesn’t need much light to grow and just needs to be watered once a week.
English Ivy
Studies have shown it reduces headaches and promotes a good night’s sleep. Not only this, it helps calm down allergies especially if the suffer from asthma as this plant has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This is another plant that is fairly easy to look after as it doesn’t need to be watered as often, it prefers to grow in drier soil and large amounts of light.
Bamboo
This plant produces more than trees, that 35% more! Bamboo plants in the garden can remove up to 87% of air toxins within 24hours which was heavily researched by NASA. Can you imagine how clear the air would be if one was planted in your home! Now this plant is a lot harder to maintain so its owner definitely needs a green thumb!
Pothos
This is a great plant to help with noise reduction and also help clean the air of formaldehyde from car exhaust fume especially if you in the city or close to a busy street. Not only this, if you have the worst green thumb then this plant won’t let you down and will thrive. Its very easy to maintain by simply either letting it grow in water or dry soil. It doesn’t even need a lot of light which is anther plus.
Barberton Daisies
This flower is often associated with beauty and cheerfulness which is why it’s a great flower that may help with anti-anxiety and relaxation benefits! The colours may also help cognitive function aiding toward an optimal brain function with its bright appearances. These daises are affordable and last all year round and again is fairly easy to look after, just fresh filtered/bottled water and sufficient lighting will make them survive longer!
Bottom Line
There you have it! Five reasons why plants can help reduce stress. So next time you're feeling stress creeping up on you, head to your local nursery and buy a plant! Not only will you be improving your health, but you'll also be helping the environment. Plants are a win-win!
Just remember next time you're feeling stressed, buy a plant and enjoy the stress-relieving benefits!
Do you have a favourite stress-relieving plant? Share your thoughts in the comments below!