I am sure you have come across someone raving about Himalayan Salt lamps around you. This is probably why you are here today.
I remember one of my friends telling me about these lamps and then I happened to visit her house a little while later. These lamps stood out like the prettiest little things. They added so much to the décor that I made up my mind to get one too!
Then she tells me that it isn’t just that these salt lamps are pretty and can easily fit in your room, they apparently have tons of health benefits too. Curious, I decided to look it up by myself and this is what I found after a thorough research.
They Clean the Air
Himalayan salt is known to absorb moisture from the air. Along with the moisture though, they even take up impurities like pollen and other allergens in them too. This is why you must have seen a salt lamp extruding water or “sweating” in the summers. It is a natural property of salt that it absorbs whatever it finds in its surroundings. This is actually one of the reasons that sea salt has become questionable because it kept absorbing all the toxic waste we kept polluting the ocean with!
So when a salt lamp takes in all the dirt and dust in the air, you find it easier to breathe and prevent any breathing problems that may arise later in your life.
Great for People with Allergies
When the salt lamps absorb pollen, dust, and all the other allergens in the air, people with allergies obviously benefit from it. Breathing becomes especially easy for them.
Keep in mind though, that salt lamps don’t really work as well as humidifiers so you can’t exactly replace it. But it still produces a considerable effect.
Keeps Those Lungs Working
Salt lamps also have a slight bactericidal effect and can get rid of many airborne bacteria that surround us. When you are preventing so many foreign objects and some bacteria from entering your airway, you are naturally doing your lungs a favor as well. A lot of respiratory system disorders can be prevented this way and you can breathe happily for as long as you live!
Better for the Skin
We don’t notice it much but when we are surrounded by dirty air, our skin slowly starts showing the impact over time. So surround yourself with cleaner air and notice your skin becoming smoother as your pores stop accumulating dirt.
This is especially beneficial for people with pre-existing skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis since their skin gets triggered by the tiniest stimuli!
Happiness, Anyone?
There has been considerable research that shows that salt lamps are great for improving your mood and making you happier. It sounds really far-fetched right now but there is some science behind it. The science of this happiness lies in the properties of negative ions. Negative ions are said to make you feel nice and happy. You find these ions in places with running water and on particularly sunny days because of the warm glow of the sun.
This is why you feel great around waterfalls, during and after heavy rain, and on sunny days. Positive ions have the opposite effect. They are emitted by screens such as those on your television, computer, tablet, and phone. They are also emitted by white light which is what we are usually surrounded by these days.
So here is a little brain teaser for you: What happens when negative and positive ions meet? That’s right, they neutralize! The Himalayan salt lamp does this nice little thing where it generates some amount of negative ions because of its warm glow.
Of course, it will not be a cause of immediate happiness no matter how down you are feeling. It also will not be able to neutralize all the positive ions that are plaguing your house right now with what little ions it generates, but you can combat that by getting a number of salt lamps instead of just one (they are really cheap).
Even so, the little will be doing a good job trying to keep you happy nonetheless!
Farewell, Depression and Anxiety
Okay, so farewell might be quite a strong word since it’s not that easy to get rid of these monsters. But there have been studies published that have shown that people with clinical depression start feeling better when surrounded by negative ions.
Sleep Well at Night
Studies that have shown that negative ions have a positive impact on our mood have also shown that negative ions make you more relaxed and sleepy.
So here is a little tip, use your little salt lamp as a nightlight. If you have trouble sleeping, it can help make you sleepy and reduce any negative emotions you have at the time as well!
Sources:
Anderson, Tony. “Why negative ions have a positive effect on the human body.” Filter Stream (2014) https://www.filterstream.com/negative-ions-positive-effect-human-body/#.Wo5JM6iWbic
Arehart-Treiche, Joan. “Negative Ions may offer unexpected mental health benefits.” Psychiatric News (2002) https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/pn.42.1.0025?code=psychnews-site
Hawkins, L.H. “The influence of air ions, temperature and humidity on subjective wellbeing and comfort.” Journal of Environmental Psychology (1981) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494481800266
Terman, Terman. “Study Confirms Light therapy’s role in treating winter depression.” Columbia University (1998) http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/psjournal/archive/archives/jour_v19no1/light.html
Unknown. “What is Colour Therapy.” Colour Therapy Healing (2018) http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour-therapy/what-colour-therapy
Samina T. Yousuf Azeemi and S. Mohsin Raza. “A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution.” (2018) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297510/
