Aromatherapy and Your Sense of Smell
The holidays are here again! The other day I walked into a gift shop and the smell of cinnamon was in the air. I instantly thought of Christmas!
Smell is the most sensitive of the senses, and it is the sense most linked to our emotional recollection. The sense of smell is the first of all our senses to develop. Even before we are born, our sense of smell is fully formed and functioning. It is the most sensitive of the senses. People can remember smells with 65% accuracy after a year! A smell can bring on a flood of memories, influence your mood, and even affect your work performance. How is it that our sense of smell, also called our olfactory sense, affects our memory or mood so strongly?
The olfactory bulb, which is the main receptor of scent, is a part of our brain’s limbic system. The limbic system is an area so closely associated with memory and feeling that it is sometimes called the “emotional brain”. When a scent enters the olfactory bulb, the smell can almost instantly cause a powerful response of emotion and memories. This happens because the olfactory bulb is connected to the amygdala, which processes emotion, and the hippocampus, which is responsible for associative learning.
When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment. Your brain creates a link between the scent and a memory, like cinnamon with Christmas or chlorine with summers at the pool. You may associate a “good” smell with an unpleasant memory, however. This is why not everyone likes the same smells.
At this time of year when we have so much to get done and can get a bit stressed, try using aromatherapy to aid your psyche! Aromatherapy can affect the limbic system, causing emotional healing, creating a sense of calm, or helping you to feel more alert and energized. Fitting aromatherapy into your everyday life is probably easier than you might expect. Using spices and slicing fruits in the kitchen or using our shampoos, soaps, and lotions are all examples of things we already do to produce an aromatherapy effect. Scented candles are also a simple way to have instant aromatherapy. Here are some scents and how they can affect how you feel– Caution: Be careful if you have asthma or an allergic reaction to any of these scents. Do not apply essential oils to the skin or ingest any essential oil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Lavender: This flowering herb can provide a relaxing, calming, and balancing effect on the mind and body. Its scent is a great stress-reliever. For a restful night, put a few drops of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball and place it in your pillowcase.
Peppermint: Enhances mental alertness and has a cooling, refreshing effect. It can sharpen focus and enhance your mood. It can help to alleviate headache and sinus issues.
Sweet orange: Can provide effective support for mild depression and is also known to tame anger, insomnia, stress, and tension.
Lemon: Has a clean smell (I always associate this scent with my furniture polish, making me calm, because I like a clean house!). Helps to alleviate heacaches and is a quick mood enhancer.
Pink grapefruit: This citrusy smell can combat nervous exhaustion and enhance mental alertness.
Rosemary: Is a wonderful mental stimulant and antidepressant. It is one of the best scents for memory recall, focus, concentration, and alertness. Rosemary oil in shampoos is excellent for stimulating the scalp and may help with hair growth.
Sandalwood: Used as a relaxing agent for tension relief and significant calming properties.
Jasmine: Known to ease depression and enhance libido. Reduces tension and stress.
Rose: Helps with depression, anxiety, and digestion. Can also help with asthma.
Ylang ylang: Is extracted for the flowers of a tropical tree and has a sweet, strong fragrance. It is excellent for reducing stress and as an aphrodisiac. It can soothe headaches and nausea.
There a many other scents that can affect your mood and well-being, whether it be the smell of coffee or the scent of roses. Take some time for yourself during the holidays and all year round, and help yourself to feel better with aromatherapy!
