Achieving a good night’s rest has a significant impact on our overall well-being from day to day. Incorporating certain habits such as getting 8 hours of sleep, using eco-friendly bedding, and decreasing light or noise in your sleep environment all have an impact on your sleep quality – but did you know that your environment’s air quality may also affect your sleep?
Breathing in contaminated air throughout the night that contains pollutants, VOCs, allergens, odors, and more, can have a negative impact on the quality of sleep you get. This nightly exposure to pollutants in the air can lead to poor sleep quality and health issues over time.
You can combat this by sleeping each night in a healthy, sleep-friendly bedroom, which will increase the likelihood of waking up refreshed the next day, while reducing your exposure to health risks over time. Now the question is how can we control our indoor air quality for a better night’s rest?
In this post, we’re going to take a look at the ways you can improve indoor air quality to create a healthy sleeping environment.
First, let’s consider the connection between indoor air quality (IAQ) and sleep.
The Link Between Indoor Air Quality and Sleep
Believe it or not, the air quality in your sleep sanctuary has plenty to do with how restful your slumber is.
Studies have shown that there’s a high chance you’ll struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep if the air quality in your home is poor, especially in the bedroom. A 2019 study revealed that falling asleep in a room with poor IAQ may be difficult, and those who do fall asleep may wake up groggy.
Additionally, high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels can pollute the air in your home. Increased CO2 levels in the home can be due to the byproduct of combustion from appliances, such as gas stoves, heaters, and fireplaces. Other factors include smoking tobacco indoors and a lack of fresh air exchange, especially in enclosed spaces.
If you’re breathing in high concentrations of CO2 in your indoor space, you could begin to suffer from headaches, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating ― all of which can negatively impact sleep quality.
Beyond mood and cognitive problems, poor IAQ can lead to respiratory issues. Prolonged exposure to airborne allergens, such as mold spores, pet dander, and dust mites, can trigger allergic reactions, especially in individuals with allergies. These allergies or breathing problems can cause frequent awakenings and nighttime discomfort.
5 Tips on How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
The most effective way to improve indoor air quality is by removing or reducing sources of air pollution and emission in the home. Here are 5 effective ways to stay on top of indoor air quality, especially in your sleep haven.
1. Regularly Clean Your Home with Non-toxic Products
Good indoor hygiene can help keep the air in your home clean, especially if you focus your cleaning effort on getting rid of dust, mold, and pet dander. Remember to regularly clean drapes, bedding, and other items in the bedroom that easily attract allergens. When washing these items, try using a non-toxic laundry detergent to remove odors and VOCs from your bedding, clothes, etc.Â
2. Keep the Air Clean With an Air Purifier
Trying to manually eliminate all allergens from your bedroom might be a tall order, but you can drastically reduce them by installing an air purifier in your home.
To get the most out of your investment, choose an air purifier that captures both tiny particles and eliminates gases. We recommend the EnviroKlenz Air System Plus – it’s designed with the most advanced air filtration technology to provide the cleanest air possible.
3. Improve Ventilation in Your Home
Consider opening windows when the weather outside is great to let in fresh, clean air and take advantage of natural ventilation. Doing this will also let out odors and cooking fumes that may be trapped inside your home. If the weather outside is bad, you can turn on the fan to increase air circulation.
4. Regularly Maintain Your HVAC System
If not correctly maintained, your HVAC system can spread airborne viruses and other allergens that can make you sick. Change the air filters regularly and make sure to use filters that capture and destroy harmful irritants.
5. Consider Removing Indoor Plants
Although there are claims that household plants can improve indoor air, recent research does not support such claims.
Indeed, indoor plants can beautify your home, but there’s little they can do to improve indoor air quality. If anything, keeping potted plants in the room can promote mold growth, so consider leaving them outside.
If you have allergies, keeping greenery outside your home, especially out of the bedroom, might be one of the most important tips on how to improve indoor air quality.
5 Benefits of Good Indoor Air Quality
 Now that we have an understanding of how air quality affects sleep, here are 5 advantages of having improved indoor air quality, including better sleep quality.
1. Eliminates allergies in the bedroom at night
Common allergens, like dust mites, pollen, and pet dander, are less likely to accumulate in homes with good IAQ, and this helps reduce allergy symptoms and improve respiratory health. But that’s not all. Good IAQ means filtering out indoor air pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), smoke, and particulate matter, leaving the home cleaner and healthier.
2. Results in better sleep
Clean indoor air creates a more conducive sleep environment, supporting a restful and rejuvenating sleep experience. Good indoor air quality contributes to overall sleep quality and well-being by reducing potential sleep disruptions caused by respiratory issues or discomfort from poor air quality, and the amount of allergies in your bedroom at night.
3. Promotes environmental sustainabilityÂ
Proper ventilation and air filtration systems optimize airflow and reduce the need for excessive heating or cooling. This practice can lower energy bills in the long run and is an effective way to ensure environmental sustainability in your household.
4. Improves Cognitive Function
Cleaner indoor air has been linked to better concentration and productivity, creating a more comfortable environment for sleep, work, and study.
5. Makes Breathing Easier
Typically, breathing is an unconscious process unless you’re breathing contaminated air. And prolonged exposure to poor air can be problematic, especially for individuals with asthma and other respiratory conditions. The good news is that ensuring good indoor air quality reduces airborne irritants and cleaner air, making breathing easier and leading to better respiratory health. There are air purifiers for allergies that can make a world of difference in your day-to-day comfortability at home.
Healthy Living at Home – with Truly Clean Air
As mentioned, getting rid of allergen and pollutant sources is the most effective way to keep the air in your home clean and promote quality sleep. Achieving this might seem daunting, but making simple changes like installing an air purifier or removing indoor plants can have a positive impact.
Our top-of-the-line Air System Plus is designed to trap and neutralize mold spores, pollens, and other allergy triggers in all indoor environments with our FAST-ACT technology. It comes with a first-rate HEPA filter, UVC germicidal irradiation bulbs, and a high-quality air cartridge for unrivaled performance.
Healthy living with EnviroKlenz means, better quality of sleep, fewer allergies, no odors, and safe and clean air.
Breathe in the good – we’ve got the bad covered
Our clean air products filter out the bad stuff – viruses, allergens, dust, and mold – and deactivate these toxins for good, leaving behind purely fresh air in your home, office, and beyond.Â
Breathe in the good – we’ve got the bad covered
Our clean air products filter out the bad stuff – viruses, allergens, dust, and mold – and deactivate these toxins for good, leaving behind purely fresh air in your home, office, and beyond.Â
EnviroKlenz® Medical Disclaimer:
“Any information that is provided on this website is not for the use by any commercial or personal entity without expressed written consent of the blog author. The material and statements illustrated within this blog are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases or medical conditions. Nor does the author in any way guarantee or validate the validity, totality, or efficacy of any claims and will therefore not be held responsible for the content of any claims. Always consult your medical physician for any specific medical advice or recommendations.”
