Caring For Plants Before Work?
Hello and welcome to the first edition of Senvi’s newsletter, where we analyse a study on health and wellbeing. It is not just about giving useful insights but also to educate you on how to stay vigilant with information online
This week’s study is titled ’Interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults’.
There are 2 types of people on this planet. Those who take care of their plants and those who just let them die. Well today’s study suggests that taking care of your plants before you start work can significantly reduce stress.
This study is a randomised crossover trial. This means that there was no exclusive control group. Instead the researchers split the 24 men into 2 groups. Group 1 cared for the plants, then did a work-like task after on Day 1, and did the opposite on Day 2. Group 2 started Day 1 with the task and then cared for the plants and swapped for Day 2.
The conclusions of the study are really interesting. They found that both groups reported reduced stress on the days they cared for the plants and then did the tasks. Also they actually measured heart rate and blood pressure while doing the tasks and they were lower if the individual did the plant care before the work task.
Positives of the Study
All studies are simply just processes at observing how one thing can affect another. This inherently means we need to analyse their process to ensure they follow a suitable protocol.
Tracked Health Markers: Many studies in the wellbeing world only use participant questionnaires to get results, which still has value, but the fact this study measured tangible results (heart rate and blood pressure), makes it more valuable.
Crossover Trial: It does add value the fact that both groups got to experience each order of plant care and work task. The fact that results were similar across both groups, gives weight to the researchers conclusions.
Statistically Significant: The results taken were shown to be statistically significant. Without getting into too much detail on statistical theory, this essentially means they proved the results are not prone to variability, making them more reliable.
Limits of the Study
It is far easier to find the limits of a study than the positives due to the nature of what a study is. Having limitations does not necessarily mean the study is not valuable, it is up to you whether you believe the process was sufficient enough.
Crossover Trial: While there are many positives to crossover trials such as this one. Bias can creep in easier than a control trial where one group is separate. For example, the overall conditions in the plant care area might have been so much nicer so that is why everyone was less stressed rather than specifically because of the plants.
Sample: 24 people being present in the trial is not a large sample and it can mean that the results aren’t as reliable and could just be down to chance.
Participants: The participants of the study were all young men which does raise the question on can these conclusions be applied to a wider population or if it’s exclusive to young men.
Additional Context
While this study is fairly unique in that it measures the immediate impact that caring for a plant can have on stress. There are several really valuable studies that show the long term impact caring for plants can have on stress.
One study in particular looked at 163 Alzheimer patients for 6 months and found very significant stress-related benefits to regularly caring for plants.
Senvi Exercise Plan Spotlight
Each month we outline one of the Senvi exercise plans that we have on our exercise software and why it is valuable and who it can help.
For April, it is one of our most accessible exercise plans: Walking VO2 Max
The plan consists of 3, 45min sessions a week for 12 weeks. It is perfect for all levels because it only consists of walking, even if some days the walking pace is higher than others. Also you require nothing but a free phone app like Strava to track paces. It is also great because it can be done alongside most of our other exercise plans too.
On week one you will walk a mile, record your time and test your heart rate at the end. From this we can estimate your VO2 Max. VO2 Max is the gold-standard measurement for your ability to do cardio and many scientists believe it is one of the most important health metrics.
Each session is then based off this walking time and you will be given specific paces to stick to every session based off your ability. This isn’t just walking aimlessly, it consists of progressive workouts where you need to hit certain speeds, to help you improve your VO2 Max.
After the 12 weeks you will re-test the mile walk with heart rate to hopefully see some improvements.
Results for this program are typical 2+ point increase in VO2 Max, which has been shown to correlate with a 20% reduction in all cause mortality.
If you are currently a member of the Senvi Employee Wellbeing Program then you have access to this plan for free, and you can view it here. If you want to become a member, then tell your employer to get in touch with us and you can get access to this plan and lots more for free.
Alternatively you can purchase it yourself here.
Senvi Whole Heartedly Recommends Alcohol Change UK
Famous for their Dry January® challenge, Alcohol Change UK has some incredible resources to help reduce your alcohol intake.
For example, Alcohol Change UK’s Try Dry® app and daily email journey double use chances of achieving a completely alcohol-free month vs those attempting 31 days off on their own? In addition, 70% of those who use these tools report still drinking less alcohol six months later - realising better health and wellbeing and reduced alcohol-related health risks long-term.
Our Try Dry® app and daily inspirational emails will help you stay motivated every step of the way. To find out more about Alcohol Change UK and to download their Try Dry® app, please visit https://alcoholchange.org.uk/
Senvi’s newsletter delivers weekly on Thursday’s at 11am.
Each week we analyse a study on a subject within the health and wellness field. This is not just to point out trends but also helps you to engage with sources so you can combat blatant misinformation. If you are not already a member of our employee wellbeing program, please click the link to find out more.
See you next week 😃,
Senvi, your corporate wellness partners.
