6 Surprising Reasons You Should Leave a Lemon By Your Bed Each Night

Pop quiz: how many uses can you think of for a lemon? Most people simply use lemons to add flavor to their favorite dishes, or perhaps to add a bit of zest to a glass of water. And some more creative people might use a lemon to clean things like their garbage disposals and even their microwaves.

However, what if we told you that there were half a dozen awesome benefits of keeping a lemon by your bed each night? Yeah, we get it–you’d probably call us crazy. But we’re ready to win you over and convince you to put a lemon by your bedside, right next to your glasses and sunglasses. Keep reading to discover the most surprising reasons to keep a lemon by your bed each night!

Keep insects at bay

Do you hate insects? Well, join the club! Pests like mosquitos don’t necessarily want to make us miserable (or so they say). Nonetheless, these guys end up draining so much blood from us each night that we’re convinced they’re vampires. It’s creepy enough to think these little guys are flying off with our blood, and it’s even worse when we are left helplessly scratching ourselves to get rid of the painful itching.

In case you were wondering, no…lemons can’t instantly make the mosquitoes around your home magically go away. However, this citrus miracle worker can do the next best thing. Mosquitos and other pests (including ants) hate the smell of lemon. By keeping lemon by your bed or even near your pillow each night, you can keep these pests from feeding on you while you sleep.

RELATED: 6 Surprisingly Awesome Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water Every Day

Naturally reduce your stress

Honestly, we could probably throw a lemon in any random direction and hit somebody who suffers from some serious stress. Thanks to everything from the economy to the evening news, it’s difficult for anyone to go to bed at night without the weight of stress weighing very heavily upon them.

Sadly, lemons can’t make the actual sources of your stress go away. But they do the next best thing: lemons naturally reduce your stress by stimulating your body’s serotonin production and helping to regulate your mood swings as well as your anxiety. Just think: you can wake up feeling much less stressed tomorrow by placing sweet-smelling lemons by your bed tonight!

Better air quality

When we tell you that lemons can help to improve your air quality, be honest: your first assumption is likely that we’re talking about making the air smell better. And while lemons do serve as a naturally sweet fragrance, the truth is that they do much more than serve as a natural air freshener.

Lemons can actually help to detoxify the surrounding air. By putting one by your bedside each night, you can get the best of both worlds by breathing in air that feels less toxic, even as it makes your bedroom smell better than it has in years!

RELATED: 7 Surprising Things That Happen When You Eat Lemons Every Day

Breathe easier

Do you have trouble breathing? It happens to the best of us. And while that can be annoying enough during your waking hours, it gets even worse when you’re simply trying to get a good night’s sleep.

And while lemons can’t make those intrusive thoughts go away (sorry about that), they can help you breathe easier each night if you place a lemon by your bedside. That’s because they are filled with antioxidants and also have antibacterial properties. This strategy works best for those who have sinus or asthma issues, but it also works well for anyone hoping to breathe a bit easier.

Easy pain relief

Do you wake up and have to deal with unwanted pain? The cause isn’t always some new condition or injury. Sometimes (and it hurts us to say this), you may be feeling some of the pains that come naturally from getting older.

Before you ask, lemons can’t help you reverse the aging process. However, breathing in air enhanced by a nearby lemon can help you deal with things like rheumatoid arthritis and even headaches. As an added bonus, it can even reduce your anxiety, which can leave you feeling as sweet and fresh as a lemon smells!

RELATED: The Most Surprising Things That Happen To Your Body When You Eat Oranges Each Day

Lower your blood pressure

Speaking of getting older, it can be increasingly difficult to keep your blood pressure low as you age. And while there are quite a few medications to help with this, you might be surprised at what you can accomplish with nothing more than a zesty lemon by your bedside.

That’s because lemons can help to lower your blood pressure and even help you regulate your blood circulation. While that’s exciting enough, we’ve found that breathing in lemon each night can help reduce congestion. Lower blood pressure and less congestion? That’s the kind of combo worth waking up for!