Gardening is an age-old task that brings food and beautiful flowers to life and is now more of a hobby than a necessity. But this National Gardening Day on April 14, you can take the opportunity to start the garden you always wanted and take advantage of the many health benefits!
And we’re talking more than just enjoying the fresh air — gardening can help you sleep better! Whether you have a vegetable garden outside or several indoor potted plants, you can reap the benefits of tending to those greens!
Lower Stress for Healthier Sleep
You might not think it, but gardening is a meditative task that helps ease your mind. The focus on digging, potting, planting, etc., helps distract you from whatever is giving you stress, helping you relax more.
Doing daily gardening will reduce your stress levels enough to start sleeping deeper and wake up feeling rested! And feeling like you’re communing with nature and the elements doesn’t hurt either.
Fall Asleep Faster with Exercise
Not only is gardening relaxing, but it is also considered a moderate physical activity and counts as a full-body workout. Gardening is low-impact, but you can’t deny its effectiveness. Just from digging, planting bulbs, watering the plants, and general potting, you can burn between 175 to 300 calories every hour you spend gardening.
You’ll reduce your stress levels and improve your mood (hello, endorphins!). And since exercise will tire out your body, you’ll spend less time tossing and turning and more time sleeping.
Light Therapy is Good
While gardening is physical, another aspect that improves your sleep more than you think is spending time in the sun. Gardening is considered light therapy that helps reinforce your circadian rhythm cues that it is daytime, which then later helps you rest at night.
According to a study at Oxford University, going outside each day is the best way to regulate your body clock and help you sleep. Spending too much time indoors is biologically confusing and might impede how you sleep.
Grow Your Sleep
The act of gardening itself is enough to improve your sleep, but you can take it even further by growing your sleep-inducing plants. You’ll have a natural, organic sleep aid whenever you need it! Some plants you can grow to help your sleep include:
- Jasmine: Provides a relaxing scent that helps relieve anxiety and promotes restful sleep.
- Lavender: Scientifically shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate. Spray lavender on your pillows, place pouches of dried lavender in your pajama drawer, or keep a pot of fresh lavender by your bed.
- Gardenia: Emit a powerfully relaxing scent even when cut, so add a few flowers to your bedroom décor.
- Chamomile: Induces sleep and helps you stay asleep uninterrupted. Keep it close to your bed or make tea and oils with the blooms.
Indoor Gardening
Not everyone has a yard big enough to have a garden, but never fear — you can still benefit from adding indoor plants to your life. You might not get the same exercise as outdoor gardening, but the meditative and relaxing process is about the same. Having several plants indoors (and in your bedroom) helps clear the air and makes it easier to fall asleep at night.
According to NASA, these plants remove harmful chemicals from the air, such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene:
- Peace Lily
- Chrysanthemum
- English Ivy
- Bamboo Palm
- Gerbera Daisies
- Ficus
With these plants inside, you can enjoy a breath of fresh air all night long!
Catch Those Z’s!
If you haven’t taken up gardening yet, you should definitely start! With all these healthy sleep benefits, how could you not? But no matter how much time you spend gardening, you still need a quality mattress to help you catch those Z’s. And if you’re current mattress looks like a lumpy mess, it’s more than time to find your new upgrade at Action Appliance!
If you have any questions, give us a call or stop by! Our team will help you find your new sleep oasis.