In a few weeks, the weather will change. We will spend more time indoors. As COVID affects our respiratory system, it is time to look at air quality in our house. The more time we spend indoors, the more we will be affected by the air we breathe in our homes. It is vital in places with poor ventilation or if we do not open windows during the winter months. American Lung Association states: “Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to developing infections, lung diseases like asthma. People with weak lungs are at the greater risk.” Indoor air pollutants can cause immediate effects, such as irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and aggravated or worsened asthma. They could also affect heart function. There are a few things that we can do to improve air quality.
We could invest in air filtration or buy a room air filter/purifier. There are several excellent and affordable room air purifiers. They will remove not only small particles but also pollutants and allergens. A few benefits to having an air purifier:
Relieves Symptoms of Asthma
Eliminates Harmful Chemicals from Indoor Environments
Neutralizes Unpleasant Odors
Improves Sleep
Please don’t disregard nature. Plants are natural filtration and purification system. And I am not talking about the outdoors. Many houseplants will also help. These plants will beautify our place and remove toxins, filter air, produce oxygen; all these improve our health. There is a list of few plants:
English Ivy
Chinese Evergreen
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Snake Plant)
Peace Lily
Spider Plant
Nerve Plant
Aloe Vera
Purple Waffle Plant
Rubber Tree
Pineapple Plant
Plants like Aloe Vera also have medicinal properties. A few plants like the Snake plant produce oxygen at night. It is great to have these plants in your bedroom to improve your air quality while you sleep.
Please remember that some plants, like Peace Lily and Chinese Evergreen, could be toxic to pets.
We cannot neglect other properties of the plants. They do not just improve our physical health but also our mental and emotional well-being. Plants help us be connected to nature, to be grounded. Several papers were published on this topic. They all conclude that indoor plants, like outdoor plants, could improve our mental and emotional health. Min-sun and Juyoung Lee, Bum-JiN Park (Korea), and Yoshifumi Miyazaki (Japan) conducted a study in 2015 on “how the interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults.” This study also concludes that plants can reduce anxiety and stress, enhance memory retention, productivity and attention. Do not underestimate the positive effect of indoor plants on life satisfaction and happiness.
With love and light,
Roman
Comments