Scents affect sleep as much as your appetite, mood, and behaviors. Did you know that? Aromatherapy is a practice often overlooked to improve emotions and sleep. It’s easy, cost-effective, and fun to add to your nightly routine.

There’s an array of essential oils to help you relax and rest for the night. Companies even tend to integrate scents to their products such as Solace Sleep Lavender Pillow to promote better sleep.

There are a lot of scents in the market to promote relaxation, but, what’s the best one for you? It sounds daunting and confusing at times, so, we’ll share to you our top picks and the benefit it brings.

How the brain works with scents

Scents concoct a feeling and experience which changes the body’s physical, mental, and emotional response. That’s because our olfactory sense is wired to the brain’s neuro response centers like memory and feelings.

First, our nose detects the scent and sends this information to the brain through the olfactory nerve. This goes directly to the limbic system of our brains that include the amygdale region that regulates memory and emotions.

Information about the smell also travels to other regions of the brain such as the thalamus. The thalamus passes this info to other parts of the brain and produce sensory perceptions and stimulus responses.

Aromatherapy is a practice observed for a thousand years for its benefits in sleep-promotion, reduced stress and pain, and mood boosts.

How scents affect sleep

Scents directly charge the brain for stimulus responses to sleep, relieving anxiety, and boost mood. You can even say that it enhances mental and physical wellness.

Promote better sleep

Study shows that lavenders offer relief for those who are restless at night. It helps reduce anxiety and increase sleep quality. Along with mint, vanilla, and bamboo, they act as muscle relaxants to induce a good night’s sleep.

Reduced stress and anxiety

Stress, anxiety, and depression obstruct restful sleep. It’ll leave people in distress and restless throughout the night, thus, inducing insomnia. Aromatherapy can relieve stress symptoms, which may boost sleep at night.

Serve as pain relief

Aromatic herbs provide physical relief also, did you know? However, it’s not the scent that takes the pain away. The herbal components you inhale or rub in your skin is what soothes body aches. Of course, what you smell can change your perception of pain and increases positive mood to shield you from experiencing the discomfort.

Best scents for sleep

What are the best scents for better sleep? At Solace Sleep, we’ve rounded up our best choices for a restful slumber.

Lavender

Lavender is the most popular scent for sleep and relaxation. It’s the ideal aroma for those who are looking for a good night’s rest. Long it has been studied for it sedative effects to reduce anxiety and calm the nerves. There are numerous researches that say lavender improves sleep, boost sleep quality, and reduces stress and anxiety.

That’s why Solace Sleep launched the Ergonomic Lavender Pillow because we believe that scents affect sleep. Waking up after a night of less-than-peaceful sleep is no fun. This aromatherapy pillow is infused with lavender, and just might be your key to a good night’s rest.

Bamboo

Bamboo has that light, clean, and fresh scent that reminds you of a walk to the woods. It helps calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and drift you off to sleep.

Solace Sleep Bamboo Pillow helps to promote proper alignment while you sleep. They also help to minimize the symptoms of dust and mite allergies, thanks to the antimicrobial properties of bamboo.

Vanilla

For many people, vanilla can be a yummy scent, but it’s also used for relaxation and stress relief. According to studies, the vanilla scent quiets the nervous system – getting you ready to sleep. It also lowers your blood pressure and calms your mood.

Peppermint

Peppermint has a strong, soothing aroma that can help clear the airways to prevent inflammation and lessen snoring symptoms. In turn, this can also relieve sleep apnea symptoms. Peppermint can boost your mood and reduce stress. Some people claim that peppermint can keep them awake while others help them sleep! It’s best to see whether peppermint works for you.

Jasmine

This sweet, floral jasmine scents affect sleep and increase daytime alertness. A study showed that jasmine lowers stress and anxiety better than lavender. It calms the nerves and lowers restlessness. At daytime, jasmine boosts brain functions and increase daytime wakefulness.