Are you tired and wake up with low energy levels?
With a non-toxic bedroom, that’s possible.
Sleeping in a non-toxic bedroom is essential for good health – it’s the most important room in the house.
Since scientific studies show that indoor air quality can be more polluted than outdoor air in the most industrialized cities, it’s in our best interest to act. To create a healthier indoor air quality.
In this article, we’ll discuss the ways chemicals enter our bodies, 9 reasons why a non-toxic bedroom is important for good health, and to-the-point tips on how you can create your own non-toxic bedroom.
How Chemicals Enter Our Bodies: 3 Ways
Chemicals from our everyday products get into our bodies one of three ways:
Breathing.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and other chemicals off-gas into the air creating poor air quality that we breathe in day and night.
VOCs can be given off by clothing, vehicle exhaust, paints and other building materials, soft woods, composite woods, cleaners, personal care products, plastics, and a whole host of other items that are too long to list.
Eating.
Pesticides and man-made chemicals (coloring, fillers, flavor enhancers) are added to food – and then we eat (and drink) them.
Plus, our food absorbs chemicals from plastic packaging, from VOCs in the air, from chemicals on our fingers, from cleaners that we use to clean our counters and cutting boards, from soaps used to clean our dishes.
Absorbing.
Chemicals absorb through our skin throughout the day and night. From there, the chemicals circulate in our blood stream and throughout our bodies.
This means, our individual cells, brains, liver, and other organs.
Examples of products that absorb through our skin are lotion, hand and face soap, shampoo and conditioner, perfume and cologne, toothpaste, feminine care products, cleaners, and more.
9 Reasons a Non-Toxic Bedroom is Important for Your Health
Below are just 9 of the many reasons why a non-toxic bedroom is important to your health – plus, quotes from credible studies and organizations.
1. Sleep deeper, longer. A non-toxic bedroom allows your body and mind to “turn off” and get into deeper stages of sleep for longer periods of time. Some folks think that sleep disruption is only caused by age, stress and caffeine intake. However, several studies (and my personal experience) show that sleeping in a non-toxic bedroom is key to getting a good night’s sleep.
“Air pollution was associated with a reduction in sleep duration…” Sept. 2019 study of 16,889 students over a 5-year period.
2. Live longer. In a non-toxic bedroom you have less indoor air pollution – which means healthier air to breathe – which leads to a longer life.
“Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in “Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction.” Dec. 2019
3. Healthy cells. Every single day our cells regenerate. When they regenerate one of three things happen: a new healthy cell is created, a new damaged cell is created, or the cell dies (and doesn’t create any new cells). Toxic indoor (and outdoor) air quality leads to damaged cells that aren’t able to function correctly.
Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, “Chemicals, Cancer, and You,” Accessed Feb. 2020.
4. Improved organ function.
These cells are what our organs are made of, thereby causing our organs to function incorrectly and illness to settle in. Organs that have been affected include:
- Nervous system – brain, spinal cord, nerves
- Endocrine system – thyroid, adrenal, pancreas glands and hormones that regulate growth, development, metabolism, and more.
- Cardiovascular system – heart, arteries, veins, blood vessels
- Immune and lymphatic systems – spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes
- Respiratory system – lungs, breathing function, circulatory system
- Digestive system – digestive tract, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines
- Urinary system – kidneys, bladder
- Reproductive system – organs that create human life
- Integumentary system – skin, hair, nails
5. Reveal real hormone levels. Your true hormone levels become apparent (and help your body function correctly) when you create your non-toxic bedroom.
“Some EDCs [endocrine disrupting chemicals] act like “hormone mimics” and trick our body into thinking that they are hormones, while other EDCs block natural hormones from doing their job. Other EDCs can increase or decrease the levels of hormones in our blood by affecting how they are made, broken down, or stored in our body. Finally, other EDCs can change how sensitive our bodies are to different hormones.”
6. Improved brain function. We think clearer and function better when our brains are working at full strength, uninhibited by toxins.
7. Healthier. Even in the womb, we’re affected by toxins – which means, having a non-toxic bedroom can make a big impact on health for unborn babies, kids, and adults.
“Other studies have associated prolonged exposure to air pollutants in utero or during childhood with reduced academic performance, a greater risk of autism spectrum disorder, and lower adult earnings.”
8. Wealthier. Could you actually make more money by creating a non-toxic bedroom? The possibility is intriguing, don’t you think?
“If the estimated association between air quality and productivity in Chinese call workers applied to all workers in service industry jobs in Los Angeles County, the authors projected that reducing air pollution to index values below 150 would generate an increase in the sector’s productivity of more than $370 million.”
9. Smarter. Keep your babies, children, adults, and elderly family members stay sharper, and able to cognitively understand the world around them.
“Test scores were significantly higher in room conditions with lower VOC levels.”
“In the original study of office workers, test scores in low-VOC/low-CO2 rooms were even higher with increased ventilation rates.”
Ways to Create a Non-Toxic Bedroom
Choosing non-toxic products.
The #1 strategy for good indoor air quality is to buy organic, chemical-free products. Why? Because it eliminates or minimizes the source of toxins right away. If chemicals aren’t being brought into your home, your air is cleaner.
While it would be frickin’ amazing if all products were organic and chemical-free, currently they aren’t. In some instances, the healthiest versions of a product still may have harmful chemicals.
In order to remove remaining chemicals from the air, get a good (specific type of) air filter.
Purifying indoor air.
A good air filter will help remove both particulate matter (dust, mold, etc.) and chemicals from your air. Look for a filter that has a fine particulate filter that filters out the smallest of air-borne particles. Plus, has an activated carbon filter to filter out volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and other chemicals in the air.
Fresh air.
As long as your outdoor air quality is better than your indoor air quality, open a few windows and doors to let fresh air into your home. Typically, outdoor air is healthier than indoor air, thereby helping to create a non-toxic bedroom environment.
However, if your neighbors are spraying their lawn with toxic pesticides or fertilizers, hold off on opening your bedroom windows for a day or two.
Weekly or bi-weekly cleaning.
Studies have shown that our household dust contains harmful chemicals. Where does it come from? Our computers, televisions, clothes, bedding, mattresses, insect parts, dead skin cells – all that have been made with or been exposed to chemicals.
How Live Life Can Help
When you are a creator of a non-toxic bedroom you take your health to another level.
Our short, to-the-point online classes are for busy people that are focused on solutions. You can quickly understand exactly what you need to look for when buying non-toxic products – and then do it!
Buy from your favorite companies or our suggested retailers using our free downloadable check list that makes it easy to spot organic, chemical-free products.
Your Next Steps
Ready to transform your home into a healthy, nontoxic home – one step at a time?
Check out our healthy home coaching to see if it’s a good fit for you.
