Why You Shouldn't Sleep With Plants in Your Room

It’s a common belief: having plants in your bedroom is good for your health. They look nice, they clean the air, and they’re calming. But then someone says, ‘Don’t sleep with plants in your room-they steal your oxygen at night.’ Is that true? Or is it just an old myth passed down like ‘carrots help you see in the dark’?

Plants Do Use Oxygen at Night

All plants perform photosynthesis during the day. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. That’s why people say plants are natural air purifiers. But at night, when there’s no sunlight, photosynthesis stops. Instead, plants switch to respiration-just like humans. They breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

That sounds scary, right? Like your peace lily is competing with you for air. But here’s the real number: a typical houseplant releases about 0.001 liters of carbon dioxide per hour. A human, meanwhile, exhales about 0.9 liters of CO₂ per hour. That means you’re producing over 900 times more CO₂ than your plant. Even if you have ten plants in your room, you’re still the main source of carbon dioxide.

It’s Not About Oxygen Depletion

The fear that plants will suffocate you by using up all the oxygen is based on a misunderstanding of scale. Your bedroom isn’t a sealed jar. Even with windows closed, there’s air exchange-through gaps under doors, ventilation systems, or tiny cracks in the walls. In a normal bedroom, the air turns over completely every 1-2 hours. You’re not running out of oxygen.

Studies done in controlled environments, like those by NASA in the 1980s and later by the University of Michigan, show that even in small, sealed rooms with multiple plants, oxygen levels remain stable. The amount of oxygen consumed by plants overnight is negligible compared to the volume of air in a typical room.

What About Allergies and Mold?

If you’re waking up with a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, or a dry throat, the real culprit might not be the plant’s CO₂-it could be the soil. Houseplant soil is damp. And damp soil breeds mold spores. Mold thrives in warm, humid environments like bedrooms, especially if you water your plants too often or don’t let the soil dry out between waterings.

A 2021 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that indoor plants with poorly drained soil increased airborne mold counts by up to 40% in bedrooms. People with asthma or seasonal allergies reported worse symptoms when sleeping near potted plants with wet soil.

It’s not the plant itself-it’s the environment you create around it. Overwatering, poor airflow, and lack of sunlight turn your peaceful snake plant into a mold factory.

Some Plants Are Better Than Others

Not all plants are equal when it comes to nighttime respiration. Some, like the snake plant (Sansevieria) and the spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), perform a special type of photosynthesis called CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism). These plants open their stomata at night to take in CO₂ and store it, then use it for photosynthesis during the day. That means they release oxygen at night-unlike most other plants.

So if you really want a plant in your bedroom, go for one of these:

• Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata): Low light, drought-tolerant, releases oxygen at night.
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Removes formaldehyde, easy to grow, minimal mold risk.
• Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): Filters airborne toxins, but keep soil slightly dry to avoid mold.
• Aloe vera: Succulent, needs very little water, releases oxygen at night.

These plants don’t fight you for oxygen. In fact, they might help you breathe better-if you care for them right.

Humidity Can Be a Problem

Plants release moisture into the air through transpiration. In a small, poorly ventilated room, that extra humidity can lead to condensation on windows, damp walls, and even mildew on curtains or bedding. That’s not just annoying-it can damage your furniture and walls over time.

In the UK, where winters are damp and indoor heating makes air dry, people often think adding plants will help. But if your bedroom already has poor airflow or you live in a flat with single-glazed windows, adding too many plants can make humidity worse. You’ll end up with a musty smell and a breeding ground for dust mites.

Keep humidity between 40% and 60%. Use a simple hygrometer (they cost less than £10 online) to check. If it’s above 65%, cut back on plants or move them to a sunnier, more ventilated room.

What About the Calm and Relaxation?

Yes, plants reduce stress. A 2019 study from the University of Technology Sydney showed that people who had plants in their bedrooms reported better sleep quality and lower stress levels. But that benefit comes from seeing greenery during the day-not from having plants right next to your pillow at night.

The real win is having plants in your living room, near your desk, or on your windowsill where you spend time awake. That’s where their psychological benefits are strongest. Your bedroom should be a place for rest, not a mini greenhouse.

So, Should You Sleep With Plants in Your Room?

You don’t need to throw out your fiddle-leaf fig. But here’s what you should do instead:

1. Choose low-maintenance, CAM plants like snake plant or aloe vera.
2. Don’t overwater. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
3. Keep plants away from your bed-place them on a dresser or shelf, not on your nightstand.
4. Ensure your room has airflow. Open the window for 10 minutes every morning.
5. Replace damp soil every 6-12 months to prevent mold buildup.
6. If you have allergies, asthma, or sleep apnea, avoid plants near your bed entirely.

Plants aren’t the enemy. But treating your bedroom like a jungle is a bad idea. Balance matters. You want calm, not chaos. Clean air, not mold. Rest, not respiratory irritation.

Final Thought: It’s Not the Plants-It’s How You Care for Them

The idea that plants steal your oxygen is a myth. But the idea that they’re always good for your bedroom? That’s only half true. Plants can improve your space, but only if you respect their needs-and yours.

If you’re healthy, well-ventilated, and you pick the right plant, having one in your room won’t hurt. But if you’re already struggling with sleep or allergies, skip the plant on your nightstand. Move it to the living room. You’ll sleep better-and your plant will, too.