A couple of weeks ago I recorded a podcast with Dr. Krystal Culler of the Virtual Brain Health Center. She chose the topic of Aromatherapy and the Brain, so I dusted off my aromatherapy research and had a blast talking to her about it. Because aromatherapy is considered complementary alternative medicine (CAM) I did some searching to find out if there was solid research to support the benefits of essential oils.
I have been a certified clinical aromatherapist since 2001. Aromatherapy wasn’t viewed as a therapeutic modality then. Even now, there are still questions about the effectiveness of the oils to heal. But research has picked up a notch over these past twenty years and there are some reliable outcomes now being published.
When I was looking for some research support for aromatherapy and the brain for the podcast, I came across this headline: “Aromatherapy May Lead to a 226% Boost in Cognition”. That caught my attention. Science says that certain aromas can help build better brains – and memories – during sleep. The study utilized olfactory enrichment – inhaling several different pleasant fragrances during sleep in ways that improve cognition and boost memory.
Being exposed to multiple scents, or olfactory enrichment, has shown promise in enhancing cognitive abilities in older adults. Seven different fragrant oils (rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, lavender) were dispersed through a room diffuser on a rotating basis for six months.
For the study, there were 43 participants between the ages of 60 – 85 years, who were in good general health with healthy cognition. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group, made up of 20 participants, was exposed to essential oils nightly. The control group, made up of 23 participants, was exposed to trace amounts. They underwent assessments at the entry to the study and again after the six-month intervention.
Compared to the control group, participants in the olfactory-enrichment group displayed a 226% improvement in their performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test – a word list recall test used to assess verbal learning and memory.
Smell Directly Linked to Memory
Unlike the other senses, such as eyesight and hearing, the olfactory nerves are linked directly to a white matter pathway in the brain – the uncinate fasciculus, which plays a significant role in learning and memory encoding. It is part of the brain’s limbic system, which governs emotions and behavior. (Aromatherapy May Lead to a 226% Boost in Cognition/Psychology Today)
In a 2018 study, adults who experienced olfactory enrichment with four essential oil scents twice a day for five months had significantly improved olfactory function and verbal function, and decreased depression symptoms compared to controls who solved daily Sudoku puzzles instead.
Aromatherapy and Sleep Quality
Interestingly, olfactory stimulation doesn’t directly affect areas of the brain responsible for controlling sleep. Researchers, however, say the use of natural fragrances can deepen slow-wave sleep. Slow wave sleep is considered “the most restful portion of the sleep cycles,” study authors write. “Odorants enhance normal sleep, and also improve abnormal sleep at a magnitude similar to that of sleep medications.” (Aromatherapy May Lead to a 226% Boost in Cognition/Psychology Today)
The National Sleep Foundation says that smell can affect “how long it takes to fall asleep, overall sleep quality and quantity. Distinct scents may promote better sleep, help people wake up in the morning, or even influence dreams and memory formation during sleep.”
In a 2021 article published in Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, authors reviewed 30 aromatherapy studies and concluded the use of fragrant oils has a “statistically significant” effect on improving sleep quality and reducing “stress, pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.” Aromatherapy appears effective for controlling cases of acute insomnia, they state. This latest study indicates the smell of these oils makes the user smarter in terms of cognition, recall, and judgment.
Dr. Mark Moss, head of the Department of Psychology at Northumbria University in the UK, although not involved in this study, believes that the “use of aromatherapy for a couple of hours a night is something worth trying” as it “can help with sleep quality as well as potentially on memory.”
Everyone reacts to essential oils differently. However, the upside of using fragrant oils to assist with sleep quality is worth the effort.
References:
Brincat, C. (August 12, 2023). Can aromatherapy oils every night help improve memory? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-using-aromatherapy-oils-every-night-help-improve-memory#How-aromatherapy-may-influence-the-brain
Dimitriu, A. (August 22, 2023). Aromatherapy may lead to a 226% boost in cognition. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychiatry-and-sleep/202308/cognition-boost-of-226-from-aromatherapy
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