Tap Into a Nightly Scent Ritual (Your Brain Will Thank You)
Did you know you can get cognitive benefits without doing anything but fall asleep amidst soothing aromas? Tap into a dreamier smellscape with a nightly scent ritual.
When it comes to setting ourselves up for better sleep, we tend to focus on our surroundings first: clean sheets, closed curtains, dimmed lights, soft pajamas (we see you, Washable Silk). And then, we move on to eliminating potential disruptions or noises that may keep us up: TV off, Do Not Disturb on, sleep sound machine humming. Maybe we’ll even do a self-soothing temple massage to relax our minds after a full day of scrolling. But too often, we ignore one of the most underrated senses when it comes to telling our brain it’s time to relax: scent.
Unlike your other senses, information from your nose travels directly to the parts of your brain that are involved with memory and emotion. This is also why certain scents can bring about recollections and associations in ways that your eyes and ears can’t. Just imagine getting a whiff of Tommy Girl or CK One today. You’re immediately transported back to a past life, all thanks to your nose. The eras tour, scent edition.
The link between our noses and brains is pretty clear, but does that mean scent may actually be in cahoots with our cognitive health? In a recent study at the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, researchers had participants use an essential oil diffuser by their bedside for just two hours every night for over six months. Exposing the participants to a range of natural scents — from rose to eucalyptus — while they slept, the scientists tapped into the close ties between smell and memory.
At the end of the study, brain imaging showed improvement in the memory-related brain pathway that typically declines with age. Simply put, these findings pointed to a promising new method of deterring age-related memory loss — by just turning on a diffuser before bed.
With that in mind, go ahead and make room in your restful routine (we have just what you need). Whether you’re someone who wants an ongoing woft of aromas throughout the evening or you’d rather have a few, quick spritzes and hit the pillow (give yourself options).
With the Vitruvi Stone Diffuser, just add your favorite essential oils with some purified water and feel yourself drift off to a snoozier slumber. And since it runs for up to 8 hours, you can trust it to have your best rest in mind all night long. Consider it your new sleep companion, without the tossing and turning.
And right when you didn’t think you could love your bed even more, Osea Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist enters the chat. Concocted with soothing properties to help ease stress and induce relaxation, just mist your pillows and linens before bed — and let the chamomile, lavender and juniper do the rest.
Having a nightly scent ritual will not only make your bedroom feel like a spa, but it will give your brain the sensory enrichment that your memory craves. So you get all of the cognitive benefits without having to do anything but fall asleep amidst an aromatic haven.
Sounds dreamy.