Modern Living
The popularity of wellbeing and mindfulness has been on the up for quite some time now. We want natural and ethically sourced beauty, food and clothing; we exercise, we meditate and we strive to self-improve. But what is it that drives our need for natural and why, in particular, do Millennials seem to be buying into it? Well, it could be thanks to the increased popularity of urban living. The appeal of cosmopolitan life has statistics suggesting that 92.2% of the UK population will be living in cities by the year 2030. We’re drawn in by everything fabulous our cities have to offer; restaurants, bars, style and culture. The downside to this however is that apartments and high-rise homes are now the new normal, meaning that renting or owning a place with outside space is becoming increasingly rare.Urban Jungle
Some people are tackling this move to metropolis with a heightened interest in horticulture – most specifically, house plants. Reports suggest that in the States nearly 5 million 18-34 year olds took up gardening in 2015; hardly surprising to anyone who has used Instagram recently. Whether pride of place on a decadent desk or balancing on bathroom shelves – nowhere is foliage free. But aside from being super instagrammable, can our new found passion for house plants make us healthier?
Well actually, yes! Not only do house plants help bring the outside in, but they also boast a wealth of actual health benefits; win-win. We’ve listed 3 of the main reasons that house plants make us healthier.How house plants make us healthier
They purify the air…
Plants can help to detoxify the air inside our homes. The modern, air-tight apartment blocks which today dominate our city’s skylines can be some of the worst for indoor air pollutants. A study by NASA showed us that plants purify the stagnant air in our homes by pulling the contaminants into their soil and repurposing them as food and nourishment. This not only means that they’re helping clean the air in which you live, but that they’re relatively low maintenance and self-sufficient as well – what more could you ask!
They literally make you healthier…
Studies have shown that for patients who have recently undergone surgery, having plants in the room can have a huge impact on recovery. Patients in rooms with plants have reported less post-operative pain, lower heart-rates and blood pressure, less anxiety and are even released from hospital sooner. Other studies, centred specifically on the impact of plants in work spaces, have suggested that sickness rates dropped by a massive 60% in offices with plants.They help you breathe...
We all learnt this at a very young age, but it’s something that we’re probably pretty quick to forget in day to day life. As human’s, we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants on the other hand, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This means that there is literally an excess of oxygen in rooms with plants, helping you breathe easy.
