Inhaling essential oils while sleeping helps enhance memory

Inhaling essential oils while sleeping may improve brain health and reduce the risk of dementia, according to studies.

Essential oils have many health benefits. Diffusing, inhaling, or massaging essential oils is an aromatherapy method that has benefits for mental health. Inhaling essential oils before bed has been shown to enhance memory and significantly improve cognitive test scores.

A July 2023 study by the University of California (USA) with 132 participants (60-85 years old) without memory impairment. The first group was provided with a diffuser with 7 essential oils including rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary and lavender. They turned on the diffuser at bedtime and let the scent spread during the first two hours of sleep. People in this group alternated using different essential oils each night. The second group (control) used a diffuser of distilled water with a scent and did the same time.

After six months, the essential oil users had a 226% increase in cognitive performance compared to the group who inhaled distilled water vapor. The aromatherapy group also performed better than the control group on word list recall (a test of verbal learning and memory). Researchers suggest that inhaling essential oils while sleeping may improve brain health and memory. This may help prevent dementia.

Essential oil diffuser. Photo: Freepik — Essential oil diffuser. Photo: *Freepik*

When the sense of smell is enhanced, memory areas become larger and more efficient, said study author Dr. Michael Leon of the University of California. Conversely, when the sense of smell is damaged, the brain's memory centers begin to deteriorate.

According to him, the olfactory system is the sense with the input directly connected to the memory centers of the brain. While the other senses transmit information through the thalamus (the brain area that receives neural connections from the primary sensory areas) first, then pass the information to the cortex for interpretation. Therefore, the cognitive improvement when the sense of smell is enriched with scent may be related to the brain regions that process emotions, learning and memory.

Brain scans of the left side of the brain of aromatherapy users showed that the effects of the therapy became less powerful with age. However, the study authors say the findings should spur research into olfactory treatments for people with dementia.

Another 2020 study by Boston University (USA) also showed that scents can stimulate memory, triggering memories of past experiences. In other words, scents evoke strong memories, acting as a trigger for nostalgia and anxiety. Aromatherapy has the potential to be used to support the treatment of memory-related mood disorders.

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