Combat Stress by Improving Air Quality

Poor air quality is more insidious as an issue. While people tend to notice obvious problems with atmospheric pollution, they are often unaware of the negative effect of invisible and odorless pollutants like Carbon Monoxide.

Long-term studies in polluted cities have shown that admissions to hospitals for psychiatric illness increase as Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide levels increase. High levels of atmospheric pollutants can damage people's ability to concentrate. Similarly, lack of ventilation can deplete oxygen in the air, and can lead to headache, tiredness and reduced concentration.

The following factors can also contribute to the problem of poor air quality:

• Smoking
• Air conditioning
• Heating
• Ionization by electrical equipment
• Overcrowding
• Pollution
• Solvents in e.g. carpets and furniture
• Excess humidity or dryness

You can do a number of things to improve air quality and reduce the stress caused by it:

• Ban smoking
• Open windows
• Use an ionizer. This helps to freshen the air by eliminating positive ions created by, for example, electric motors powering computer fans.
• Use dehumidifiers where humidity is a problem.
• Introduce plants where the air is too dry. Evaporation of water from the plant pots or from the plants themselves will help to raise humidity. Not only do plants raise the amount of oxygen in the air and reduce stuffiness, they also help to absorb pollutants in the air.
• Keep drinking water on hand so that you do not get dehydrated.

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