Plants in the Home Office Have Hidden Health Benefits

Having plants in the home office doesn’t just bring some fresh decoration to your environment – it can help provide some hidden health benefits too!

Whilst most of the UK is now working from home, it’s not unlikely that we will be looking to decorate our home offices with various items on our desks and framed pictures on the walls.

But as we’ve come to learn recently, one item that may be overlooked in the creation of a home office is the inclusion of plants.

And they’re not just pretty to admire whilst working – there are some health benefits that come from having plants in a work space as leading supplier of interior and exterior plant displays, PHS Greenleaf, have recently detailed.

Here are some of the main ones.

The Health Benefits of Plants in the Home Office

Plants Help to Humidify the Air

One of the first health benefits that plants in the home office can help to provide is to raise humidity levels within the room.

When rooms are too dry, it can cause a range of issues including dry skin, irritations of the throat and sinuses and in some cases, can lead to dehydration if a room is particularly confined.

By keeping a plant or two within the room, they solely increase the humidity levels within the working environment, helping you to avoid encountering these issues in your home office setup.

They Combat SBS (Sick Building Syndrome)

A pertinent benefit that having plants in the home office has regarding the current lockdown situation is that it can purify the air in a room, helping us to avoid developing SBS (Sick Building Syndrome) symptoms.

Sick Building Syndrome will very often occur when spending an extended amount of time in the same building or room and exposure to everyday toxins such as Benzene, Xylene, Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene.

Common symptoms of SBS include:

• Headaches
• A Runny or Blocked Nose
• Itchy Skin/Rashes
• Sore Eyes

Plants Can Make Us More Productive

As findings from the University of Michigan have concluded, having plants within our direct line of sight can help to raise our levels of productivity by as much as 20%.

Whilst the exact reason as to why it is plants in particular that can cause this increase in productivity levels, it is theorized that it’s due to the makeup of plants themselves – the stem, branches and leaves, can actually absorb and filter out distracting background sounds.

Having Plants in the Room Makes Us Happier and Sleep Better

It might seem a bit bold to suggest that having plants in the home office and in other areas of the home can directly influence our mood and sleeping patterns, but numerous studies have proven this to be the case.

Certain plants like the Eucalyptus are able to emit certain compounds which can lessen our chances of developing sleep insomnia and the biophilic effect of having plants close can actively reduce our fatigue levels by as much as 38%.

In addition, having plants in the home office can reduce anxiety and tension levels by at least 37%, and any ill feelings of anger and hostility can be lessened by a staggering 44%!