Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Facts, Myths and How to Use Them

What is it?

Himalayan salt lamps are lamps made from carved crystals. It is made from pink salt crystals from the Himalayan Mountains. While Himalayan salt is similar in taste to regular table salt, what makes them valuable is their high mineral content. These minerals are also the reason behind the salt’s pink color! When turned on, they emit a warm, pink glow. 

While they do make beautiful decorations, they are also said to have health benefits. These benefits include boosting your mood, easing allergies, improving asthma, and more. It is also said to remove potentially harmful pollutants from the air. These benefits are great, but you must be wondering how they work. To pull in particles, the lamps attract allergens, pollutants, and toxins to its surface. It is also said that the lamps release negative ions which are  good for your health. This allows your indoor space to be clearer and more comfortable. This feeling is similar to people being refreshed after a storm. These negative ions can help reduce depression. In terms of air pollution, negative ions help neutralize pollutants. 

Myths

While these lamps make beautiful decorations and contain some health benefits, there are still myths going around about their properties. These myths include:

1. Improved cognitive performance

There is currently no evidence to show that Himalayan salt lamps improve your cognitive performance. Although they do emit negative ions that can help improve air quality, it is not strong enough to affect one’s cognitive ability. However, if it was strong enough, it could potentially improve one’s memory, learning speed, alertness, reasoning, and verbal intelligence. 

2. Improved sleep

Salt lamps also do not have any scientific evidence that they improve sleep. While they may help calm people down through their soft lighting, the salt itself has no sleeping benefit. Four studies on 300 people showed that negative ions had little to no effect on individuals’ sleep. In saying this, the lamp’s soft pink, non-blue light can improve relaxation and sleep quality, just not the salt itself!

3. Help cure infectious diseases

While salt lamps are effective for cleaning general air pollution, their negative ion levels are not strong enough to combat infectious diseases. This can only be done by powerful, medical-grade equipment. 

How to Use

Now that you know everything about Himalayan salt lamps, here is how to use it! These lamps can be used as a night light, can be used to improve air quality, soothe allergies, and more! Simply plug in your lamp and begin to feel all of its benefits! Some things to note are:

1. The bigger the lamp, the more effective it is
2. The smoother it is, the better the air quality
3. Use a heat-producing bulb instead of an LED bulb
4. Darker orange lamps are higher quality