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4 Best Plants to Help You Sleep
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?”
― Ernest Hemingway
Never were truer words spoken! Are you getting at least 8 hours of beauty sleep every night?
A good night’s rest is something many of us strive for. Perhaps it’s time we gave more attention to this basic human need.
An aspect of living sustainably
Living a sustainable lifestyle means more than just reducing our carbon footprint. It also means taking care of our bodies so we can contribute effectively to sustainable urban development around us. Sleep is a massive part of this. How can we even begin to think about sustainable living when we are too tired to plan ahead?
Sleep deprivation drains us of our mental abilities and can lead to health issues. More alarmingly, our lack of sleep can also impact negatively on the lives of others. We become short tempered, irritable, and accident-prone. Researchers even suggest that a lack of sleep exerts a similar effect on the brain as over-drinking. Rather serious when we think about it.
What can we do?
Here at Click & Grow, we believe everyone deserves to thrive. That includes getting sufficient, restorative sleep. While there is no magic button we can push to make everyone sleep better, there are certainly ways we can help out in this area. We’ve put together a list of plants which are known for their calming properties and could go a long way to helping you get a good night’s sleep. When growing an herb garden, consider the following plants:
1. Lavender
An intriguing study carried out by Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, found that Lavender Oil caused significant decreases of blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature in participants. Furthermore, participants reported feeling fresher and more relaxed after inhaling the oil. Growing Lavender in your Smart Garden is a simple process that could prove very worthwhile in your search for a peaceful night’s sleep.
2. Lemon-Balm
Thomas Culpeper, courtier and close friend of King Henry VIII, praised Lemon-Balm as a sedative when he wrote that it "...driveth away all troublesome cares and thoughts out of the mind, arising from melancholy..." Despite being written hundreds of years ago, many would still agree with this sentiment today. Roman emperor, Charlemagne, was another high-profile figure who valued Lemon-Balm, proclaiming that it should be grown in every medicinal herb garden within his domain as long as he ruled. Why not grow Lemon-Balm in your very own Smart Garden?
3. Catnip
While Catnip may excite Cats, humans react to the active ingredient, nepetalactone, in the opposite way. Catnip has been said to have a sedating effect, helping to relieve stress and anxiety. As many know from experience, trying to sleep with a lot on your mind is virtually impossible. Catnip requires very little care when it comes to growing. Start growing this perennial herb and look forward to its soothing benefits.
4. Peppermint
Drinking peppermint tea before bed could improve the quality of your sleep. This benefit is attributed to the herb’s menthol content. It can help relax muscles and some have claimed it helps them dream more vividly. Why not settle down with cup of peppermint tea using leaves harvested from your very own Smart Garden? Read a chapter of your favorite book and allow yourself to gradually drift off into dreamland.
In our experience, these are easy plants to grow at home. They certainly play their part in assisting with sleep. With this in mind, let’s be good to our bodies. Let’s treat sleep as a priority rather than a luxury.
For more information about what we do, head over to www.clickandgrow.com. Discover how our Smart Gardens make growing plants indoors simple and enjoyable.