sleep aids

6 Surprising Ways a Houseplant Can Save You Money

Andrea Cannon — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 16:00:08 +0000

If you have considered adding a houseplant to your home or office decor, you may be surprised to find just how much they can improve your life and even save you money.

Experts recommend investing in at least three houseplants — and up to four plants per person — to drastically improve your indoor air quality. Bayer recommends adding one large plant to roughly every 100 square feet of space for maximum benefits.

1. Save Money on Your Electricity

Plants release oxygen and water vapor, which can help boost humidity in the air. This means you won't need to waste money buying a humidifier to improve your indoor air quality. You also won't need to waste electricity running the humidifier when houseplants do the same thing for free.

The increase in moisture can also have a cooling effect, too. Adding houseplants during the summer can help you reduce your dependency on air conditioning, which will help further lower your electricity bill.

2. Save Money on Medical Treatment

Houseplants have a plethora of physical, mental, and psychological health benefits. In an 1989 report, NASA studied "sick building syndrome" in relation to indoor air pollution, and found that certain plants are actually good for your health. Plants can help with ailments such as headaches, stress, respiratory problems, and even the common cold and cough. In fact, studies have shown that sickness rates throughout an office will fall dramatically once plants are added.

They can also help produce more oxygen and clean the air you're breathing, which can further reduce airborne allergens and infections. Some indoor plants, such as the aloe vera plant, can even be applied directly to injuries in order to speed up healing.

Researchers have found that adding brightly colored plants to hospital rooms dramatically lifts patients' spirits, which in turn helps to reduce the necessary treatment and recovery time. Patients in hospital rooms with plants have been shown to require less pain medication, experience less fatigue, and have lower blood pressure. One study also found that patients who are tasked with taking care of plants experience a shorter recovery time after medical or surgical procedures. This is called horticulture therapy and can be very effective.

3. Save Money on Allergy Medications

The American Society of Horticultural Science found that Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, so indoor air quality is becoming an increasing health concern — especially when you consider that indoor air can be up to 12 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Fortunately, indoor plants are scientifically proven to help improve air quality. In fact, according to the NASA study, some plants can help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene.

If you don't take steps to clean the air you're breathing, you may develop allergies. If you already have allergies, an indoor plant can reduce allergens and lessen your dependency on allergy medications. Air filtration systems can be expensive and ineffective. Instead, a houseplant provides an affordable alternative solution that can also complement your home decor. In fact, some suggest exposing your children to plants early in life so that they can begin building a tolerance for common allergens.

4. Save Money on Mood and Energy Enhancers

Houseplants just make you happy. They can increase self-esteem, reduce depression, make you feel more relaxed, and even increase your sense of stability. They have also been shown to improve mood, memory, mental capacity, concentration, creativity, and productivity. Plants can also help lower background noise, which can improve your work environment and make any area more enjoyable to inhabit. Why waste money on mood and energy supplements when you can get similar benefits just by adding a plant to your space?

5. Save Money on Sleeping Aids

If you have trouble sleeping, try adding a plant to your room. Plants give off oxygen at night, which can help you breathe better. Houseplants also instill a feeling of calm and relaxation, and will help to keep your stresses and anxiety at bay.

6. Save Money on Indoor Decor

Home and office decor can be pricey. Houseplants, on the other hand, are an affordable, beautiful accent that look great, smell great, and can last for years. They can also mask any unpleasant odors and even hide the smell of smoke. Why bother with an air freshener that contains harmful chemicals when you can clean the air with an indoor plant?

Indoor plants can also help improve your business image and instantly put your guests or clients at ease. Studies have also shown that people prefer to be in rooms that have plants in them because they tend to be perceived as cleaner and more expensive.

Choosing Beneficial and Affordable Plants

NASA found that there are certain air-filtering plants that clean the air along with releasing oxygen. Fortunately, most of these beneficial indoor plants are very affordable. Ferns, lilies, orchids, and chrysanthemums will look great in any room, won't cost much, and will continue to improve your indoor air quality all day and night. (See also: The Best Cheap Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality)

Maintaining Your Plants

In order to get the best usage out of your houseplants, it's important to take care of them properly with routine maintenance. Along with regularly watering them, it is important to keep the leaves clean and dusted.

Rubbing the leaves of your plants with castor oil or the inside of a banana peel can revive the shine. Banana peels also work as a natural fertilizer and pesticide. Keep plants away from drafty areas, choose the right container for your plant, and provide them with the right amount of light every day so they can continue to thrive for years to come.

Do you know of other benefits associated with indoor plants? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

7 Ways to Sleep Better in Fewer Hours

Christa Avampato — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 10:36:13 +0000

Though the National Sleep Foundation advises healthy adults to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night, a recent study found that 30% of working Americans sleep less than six hours per night. According to the National Academy of Sciences, sleep deprivation is bad for your health; it elevates the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and it increases weight-gain and stress. In desperation, many people turn to sleep aids to make their sleep more effective. The pharmaceutical sleep aid market is estimated to be $4.5 billion annually. (See also: Effective Sleep Tips You Haven't Tried)

There's got to be a better way to make sleep more effective, however many hours you are able to devote to it, right? In fact there are several, and they're mostly free. All you need is personal discipline and the commitment to trade unhealthy habits for healthy ones.

1. Practice Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is a method of meditation that has been taught in India for centuries. There are currently many research studies underway to analyze the health benefits of a regular Yoga Nidra practice. Early results show that it improves our ability to reap the benefits of deep sleep in less time than normal sleep cycles.

Here's how it works: In between our waking and dreaming cycles in normal sleep, there is a short window of time (roughly three to five minutes) called the "hypnagogic state." In this state, tension is greatly reduced and our bodies are most at ease. Yoga Nidra, sometimes called "dreamless sleep," teaches us how to consciously extend the hypnagogic state and gives our bodies more time to deeply relax. When we relax, our blood pressure and blood sugar levels decrease and we reduce muscular tension and fatigue. With reduced muscle tension, we are literally able breathe easier and we can get nourishing oxygen to our cells more efficiently. (See also: Yoga Tricks to Help You Relax)

2. Stick to a Bedtime Routine

It's so simple, and yet most of us don't do it. We have to prepare the body for sleep to make our sleep effective. Power down the electronic devices, block outside light, turn down the thermostat, and do some very light exercise such as gentle stretching before hitting the hay. Otherwise you'll waste time powering down by lying awake in bed.

3. Watch What You Eat and Drink

When our digestive system is active, it disturbs our sleep. Eat earlier in the evening so your body has a few hours to digest before heading off to bed. Also, reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine because they throw off our natural circadian rhythms making sleep more difficult and less beneficial.

4. Consider Some Natural Supplements

Herbal teas such as chamomile and valerian root have the potential to help us naturally relax and enhance sleep. The warmth of a glass of warm milk may help us relax, although there's really nothing in it that can make us feel drowsy or actually help us sleep. Always consult your physician before taking any supplements. (See also: Foods That Can Help You Sleep)

5. Exercise

Exercise has many health benefits, and one of those benefits is more effective sleep. One of the best pieces of news on the link between exercise and sleep comes via a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation that found the time of day we exercise doesn't matter. Additionally, any intensity of workout has a positive impact on sleep. So walk, jog, or sprint — day or night. All that matters is that we get our regular workouts in some form.

6. Apply Technology

Today we have incredible technology in the form of mobile apps that can track the quality and quantity of our sleep. If you have an iPhone, try Sleep Cycle. If you have an Android phone, try SleepBot. By tracking your sleep patterns, you'll discover the best time for you to fall asleep, and the best time to wake up. (See Also: Great Sleep-Tracking Apps)

A white noise machine is another option. They've have been around for decades for one good reason: They work. There are many options on the market today at a variety of price points, so it's easy to find one that fits within your budget.

7. Go Polyphasic

The experts are clear that we really should be getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night. But if you really want to get by on less sleep — significantly less — follow the lead of Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci. They were rumored to follow "polyphasic" or alternate sleep cycles. People who utilize this method sleep for a few consecutive hours several times per day. If you give this method a try, however, exercise caution. Don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or make any critical life decisions until you know how this kind of sleep schedule will affect you. It works for some people and not for others.

Ideally, we want to have both good quality sleep and a sufficient amount of it. These remedies, or a combination of them, can help. Experiment with them and use the ones that work best for you.

What helps you sleep better? Please share in comments!

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This article is from Christa Avampato of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Why a 50-Year-Old Gadget May Be the Best Cure for Insomnia

Lars Peterson — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 10:24:03 +0000

Babies are known to sleep better when they're near the sound of a vacuum cleaner, noise of blow dryers, or soft hums of fans.

So-called "white noise" is not just for restless infants, either. Sleep experts now recommend white noise for insomnia sufferers of all ages because it's an effective alternative to "pharmacological" treatments — pills — for sleeplessness. (See also: Sleep Better With Calming Words)

And in my own case, nothing promotes a good night's rest so well as the steady thrum of a diesel fishing boat engine.

But what do you do if there isn't a fishing boat or a vacuum cleaner nearby to generate the white noise you need to drift off? Enter the Dohm-DS Sound Conditioner.

Dohm-DS Sound Conditioner

One of the oldest players in the white noise making business is Marpac. The company's Dohm-DS Sound Conditioner is not much to look at, but it is wildly popular with Amazon shoppers (4.5 stars; 3300+ reviewers) and the National Sleep Foundation.

The Dohm-DS produces non-digital white noise via an internal fan and some adjustable air vents, which you can shift around for the sound you like best. What's it sound like? Rushing wind.

This isn’t just handy for insomniacs. Use it to drown out the noisy neighbor or office chatter. If music is too distracting, the machine can help provide a steady, rhythmic sound to boost productivity and creativity. (See also: How to Block Out Noise)

The Science Behind the Noise

What most of us refer to as white noise, sound engineers and other sound expert types have categorized into several different kinds (and sounds!) of noise, based on some mathematical descriptions of the energy and frequency of the sound waves. True white noise consists of every human audible frequency at the same energy level — kind of like white light consists of every visible color on the spectrum. Other colors of noise feature differing amounts of energy at different frequencies. Pink noise and brown noise are two common colors of noise many white noise apps and generators produce to help us concentrate or sleep. Pink sounds a little higher than plain white noise and brown sounds a little deeper.

Whatever its color, the white noise "drowns out" other sounds in the environment. More importantly, the sound waves "mask" other sound waves by matching their frequency and canceling them out. This is similar to the principle that allows noise-canceling headphones to work. The result is less sound reaching sleepers' ear drums, which means sleepers' brains can continue to relax and recuperate rather than respond to strange or alarming noises and waking the sleeper up. (See also: Top 5 Noise-Canceling Headphones)

Even better? Pink noise, such as falling rain or wind ruffling through the leaves, appears to slow and regulate brain waves, even when sleeping. This allows deeper, more restful sleep than simply blocking or masking other sounds.

White Noise Recordings

There are also all sorts of smartphone apps available, free and paid, that will generate noise in whatever style you prefer. There are also plenty of websites and YouTube videos that will play white noise for you, too, whether recorded from nature, made by machine, or both, such as the recording of the boat engine linked above, or a "recording" of the hum of the Starship Enterprise's mighty matter/antimatter engines. You can even find digital recordings of the soothing, masking noise of a simple desk fan or a box fan, if you don't happen to have either of the real thing handy.

Do you sleep better with white noise?

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This article is from Lars Peterson of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: