The Smell In Your Bedroom Has An Unexpected Effect On Your Sleep – Health Digest

Is it difficult for you to fall asleep? Then you’re like 14.5% of adults, according to 2020 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. But there’s some positive news if you’re frustrated by an uneven and unsatisfactory sleep schedule: You can rely on the power of your nose to get the rest you need to feel recharged during the day.

How does your nose connect to a good night’s sleep? As a 2022 article from Frontiers in Neural Circuits explains, sniffing the right scents before hitting the hay can impact how well and how long you sleep. Basically, your brain is triggered to go into sleep mode. Sound strange? It’s actually a documented phenomenon, as illustrated in a 2022 study from Scientific Reports. In the study, participants who breathed in what they considered to be pleasing odors before turning in for the night felt that their sleep quality improved.

In other words, if you fill your bedroom with the right kinds of smells, you might have a better chance of dozing off quickly and not waking up until your alarm. But you have to be thoughtful when picking aromas for your bedroom. Some scents are just too invigorating and might be more likely to keep you awake than usher you to sleep.

Even if you’re someone who adores a particular smell, do a little research before diffusing it in your sleeping space or spraying it as a mist on your pillow or in the air. Many vibrant odors have too much playfulness and vibrancy to induce sleep. 

Take peppermint, for instance. Peppermint in an essential oil format has been known as a fatigue fighter. Consequently, if you’re trying to “give in” to fatigue (a.k.a., get to sleep rapidly,) the smell of peppermint probably won’t help. On the other hand, if you’re trying to keep yourself from nodding off during a slow afternoon at work, peppermint could do the trick. Citrusy smells from lemons and oranges are just as big of a problem if you breathe them in before bed. In fact, WebMD names citrus as one of the primary scents that can arouse the brain. That’s not what you want when you’re ready to call it a night and need to be lulled to sleep by a softer, less bold fragrance.

Finally, steer clear of flooding your bedroom with coffee odors. Like peppermint and citrus, the smell of coffee is far too stimulating for nighttime snoozing. In a 2019 trial from Integrative Medicine Research, subjects who inhaled the odor of coffee reported higher levels of alertness.

Of course, not all scents are off the table if you’re trying to use aromatherapy to get sleep. Far from it. Plenty of fragrances are appropriate for the bedroom, starting with lavender and rose. Both lavender and rose offer light, soothing scents reminiscent of gardens and outdoor spaces. Lavender is particularly calming, making it an ideal choice for smelling in the evening. In a 2022 interview for The New York Times, Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness medical director Dr. Charlene Gamaldo praised lavender for its ability to help induce sleep in some people, adding that “lavender compound specifically has been one of the most studied” among all aromatherapy scents. 

This doesn’t mean the scent of roses hasn’t been studied. It has, and it’s had some success in helping people doze off. For example, an older 2014 trial from Complementary Therapies on Clinical Practice studied the effect of the smell of rose on patients in a cardiac care unit. The results indicated that the smell of roses improved the quality of sleep for patients.

Want another option? Try chamomile. Its apple-like smell can also push people into a sleep state by encouraging deep relaxation. Entrepreneur and author Sara Panton Rogier said in a 2024 CNN interview that chamomile provides a natural calming effect that allows the heart to beat a little slower. In turn, this assists the mind and body to embrace sleep.

What if you bring gentle scents into your bedroom but still don’t sleep well? Sniff around for so-called “bad” smells that might be lurking — and making it harder for your aromatherapy intervention to work.

Nose-wrinkling odors can be prominent in the bedroom and can interfere with your attempts to make the space smell appealing. Fortunately, those odors can be banished with a few strategies. A 2023 article from Better Homes and Gardens suggests washing linens weekly, keeping dust at bay, and even installing a dehumidifier if mustiness persists. After all, mustiness can be a hallmark sign of potential mold, an organism found in damp environments. As one of the publication’s editors, Millie Fender, asserts, “Using a dehumidifier . . . reduces the levels of moisture in the air which essentially prevents the growth of mold or mildew which thrive in moist conditions.”

Remember that good smells won’t work as effectively as sleep aids if bad smells are present. In a 2020 research report from Cortex, the authors concluded that smells deemed unpleasant could negatively impact the baseline resting state of an individual. Consequently, you may want to follow your nose during daytime hours to pinpoint any unwelcome odors in your room so you can remove them before introducing soothing fragrances in the evening.