Is it bad to sleep with plants in the bedroom?

Is it true that sleeping in a room with plants does not allow us to oxygenate well?

Surely more than once (and more than twice) you have been warned of the risks that sleeping in a room where plants are present as a decorative element can pose to your health.

This traditional belief assumes that the plants will use all the oxygen present in the room, which is also necessary for the respiration of humans.This traditional belief assumes that the plants will use up all the oxygen in the room, which is also necessary for human respiration, leaving us without enough for ourselves.

The popular belief that plants "steal" oxygen from us is widespread.But how much of it is true? Here's a look at how plants perform some of their biological functions and what it can really mean for us to share a space with them.

The biological functions of plants

Plants are living beings, and, therefore, they will have certain vital functions to carry out in order to survive, being mainly three: nutrition, relationship and reproduction. Some of the processes they carry out to perform these vital functions, mainly nutrition, and on which we are going to pay special attention today, are photosynthesis and respiration.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is a process carried out by plants, algae and some types of bacteria, in a specific organelle called a chloroplast.. Generally speaking, during this process, plants will use the energy obtained from sunlight to produce organic matter from inorganic matter.

To obtain these final organic products, plants need to use some inorganic compounds, which in this case are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), which they take from the air and soil.

From them and from light energy, they will obtain chemical energy, which will be stored in the form of carbohydrates or sugars, such as glucose, which will serve as a source of energy for the plant. This whole process of photosynthesis is accompanied, in plants, by the release of another compound into the environment, oxygen (O2), which is essential for most forms of life.which is essential for most forms of life on planet Earth.

Respiration

Plant respiration is defined as the set of reactions that occur in some plant organelles, the mitochondria, by means of which carbohydrates that had been synthesized during photosynthesis are converted back into inorganic molecules (carbon dioxide and water). (carbon dioxide and water).

In these reactions, energy is released, which is stored in an energy intermediate, ATP (adenosine triphosphate), to be finally used by the plant to carry out its vital functions (growth of organs, transport of compounds and repair processes, among others).

Is it bad to sleep in rooms with plants?

Plants photosynthesize throughout the day, although we might think that they need to sleep in rooms with plants.Although we might think that they need sunlight, and that, therefore, it would only occur during daylight hours. This is because during this process there are two types of reactions, those that depend on sunlight and those that are independent of it.

In the same way, plants are performing the reactions of respiration continuously, both during the day and at night. This reaction of respiration is the one they perform in a similar way to us, taking in oxygen (O2) and giving off carbon dioxide (CO2), and, therefore, is the one we have to look at to see if plants are really real competitors in obtaining "our" oxygen.

To what extent do these plant processes affect us?

In accordance with what our popular thinking says about how negative it can be to sleep in a room where there are plants, the first thing we have to ask is why we are only concerned about one part of the day, the night..

As we have seen above, the process in which plants "compete" with us for the oxygen present in the environment is respiration, and this reaction is occurring continuously throughout the day, so that in the case of having to worry (which we will now see that there is no reason to do so), it would have to be during 24 hours a day.

In addition, the key point that makes us discard the plants as enemies to share a room with, is the volume of oxygen they consume. Contrary to what happens with us, human beings, plants consume tiny volumes of oxygen compared to what a person could consume, hence their company is not harmful to us. If sharing a room with another person, who consumes approximately 2-3% of the oxygen present in the room during the night, is not harmful to us, imagine sharing a room with a plant, which consumes about 0.1% of the oxygen that may be present in the room.

Finally, as if it were not enough so small expenditure of oxygen that make the plants, we must take into account that, in general, the number of plants that we can have in a room is quite small.. With this we want to say that not even having a good number of plants in our bedroom, the sum of the expenses of oxygen that did each one of them would be sufficient to endanger the amount of oxygen that would be available to cover our respiratory needs during the night.

Positive effects of having plants in the room

Having disproved the information that makes us get this famous myth, let's go a step further to move away from these negative effects traditionally raised, to analyze the possible positive effects that can bring us the presence of plants in our rooms.

On the one hand, they are going to favor the creation of a good atmosphere in our bedroom.As a decorative element, they will generate a very pleasant atmosphere and will provide a feeling of vitality and freshness that can generate in us a very positive impact, influencing our mood.

In the same way, many of them give off fragrances that will allow us to create a sense of good smell in our room.. In addition, thanks to these odors can promote a better quality rest for us and the disappearance of the annoying insects that appear in our bedroom, because some of them have compounds that act as repellents naturally.

Examples of plants with a positive impact on our environment.

Finally, having seen that plants are good roommates, we want to exemplify some of them, able to bring us some positive aspects, beyond its aesthetics, either by promoting our welfare, our rest or helping to eliminate insects that roam our rooms, especially in the summer months.

1. Aloe vera

Aloe vera (or aloe vera) is a great ally for our homes. In addition to the popularly known Anti-Inflammatory and nutritional properties for our body, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has shown that this plant is able to purify the air in our rooms, improving its quality and acting against harmful pollutants. is able to purify the air in our rooms, improving its quality and acting against harmful pollutants present in our daily lives pollutants present in our daily life such as formaldehyde and benzene. The only thing that aloe vera will need to bring us these positive effects is a well-lit corner of our room and that we provide the necessary water, which is not too much in this case.

2. Basil

The basil is an aromatic plant that, besides being a fundamental element in the gastronomy of many regions, has been used traditionally like a mosquito repellent. In addition to repel these insects, it is able to prevent the growth of their larvae, so that, with the presence of our basil in the rooms of our home, we can rest from these annoying insects that bother us so much, especially in summer.

3. Lavender

Lavender flowers have a very fresh aroma, which will create a very pleasant atmosphere in the rooms of our home. In addition to its beauty and its good aroma, this plant will allow us to keep away some insects. will allow us to keep away some unwanted insects from the house, such as moths, flies and mosquitoes..

On the other hand, its dried flowers have countless uses, both decorative only, as to perfume the inside of our furniture and cabinets with aromatic bags.