Our sense of smell is perhaps the most crucial in bringing up and trigger emotions. The nerve that transmits signals to the brain, the olfactory bulb, is directly connected to our nose and amygdala, and hippocampus, the areas in our mind involved in emotions and memory. This fact explains the power of scents to prompt emotional cues. The nerves of other senses – touch, hearing, sight, and taste – take a longer time to reach the two mentioned brain areas as they are not directly connected.
Some Sleepy Scents
We are surrounded by things that exude odors, which can affect your mood and emotional tone at any time. Why not bring in items that release calming scents for better sleep in our room? Here are some fragrant options that you can choose from:
- Lavender – This plant is being used for ages to soothe your agitation and anxiety. Its scent has the power to slow down the nerves for better sleep. Applying lavender oil while massaging makes the soothing sensation more felt.
- Vanilla – This fragrance reduces stress and relaxes your muscles. A study revealed that cancer patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is known to be stressful, reported a massive 63 percent drop in anxiety level when a vanilla fragrance was administered during the procedure.
- Jasmine – The beautiful white petals of this plant charming can make your sleep more profound and more refreshing. Those who inhaled the scent during their sleep experienced better sleep efficiency, less motion during shuteye, and overall improved quality sleep. The effect of Jasmine to sleep was even more potent than that of lavender.
Visually Appealing Scents
But how can we make these scents appealing not only in our noses but also in our eyes? Below are some household items that enhance the beauty of your room while releasing fragrances and fumes for your sleep:
- Potted Indoor Plants – Why relish the synthetic odor of lavender, jasmine, and other soothing plants if you can have them in your room? The brilliant colors of the flowers of these plants are welcome complements to the overall design of your sleep haven.
- Wax Melts – Wax melts fragrance gives a positive outlook when you’re at home. It has a relaxing scent that will make you feel out of stress and renew. It melts range from luxury perfume dupes to fresh, fruity, sweet, laundry & much more. Wax melts quickly to produce a room-filling fragrance in just a few minutes.
- Air Humidifiers – These home items releases vapors flavored with essential oils such as jasmine, lavender, and vanilla. While its fumes are already desirable to the eyes, many humidifiers come with neon lights for decorative purposes.
- Aromatherapy Candles – Candlelight usually evokes romantic and contemplative emotions. These feelings are enhanced by the scent of the candle’s release, especially if they release aromas that encourage you to sleep.
- Aromatherapy Incense – The glow at the tip of the incense and its arrangement can improve your room’s visual appeal.
- Potpourri – A mixture of different dried leaves and branches carefully arranged in a bowl can also provide an additional design to your room.
Scents have the power to influence your mood. Accompanying them with visual cues produces a more potent effect on your behavior. Sweet-smelling fragrances and attractive designs can help you get better shuteye every night. Besides your typical bedroom fixtures that contribute to quality sleep every night. Such as gel memory foam mattress and pillows as well as sleep aids.
