You can use a spray that contains lavender but is muted by other scents
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If lavender isn’t your favorite smell, there are plenty of ways to reap the scent’s calming benefits without being inundated in the floral smell. Health recommends a blend of vetiver and chamomile that mask the smell of pure lavender and easily complement its relaxing benefits. Furthermore, if you want to remove lavender altogether, you can opt for a scent that reminds you of home and feeling safe.
W. Chris Winter, MD, tells the outlet, “Sprays can be helpful if we pair a certain smell in our minds with the act of sleep. This is particularly true with travel. If you associate a certain smell with your bedroom, spraying that in your hotel room can trick your brain into thinking you’re at home.” So, whatever scent you opt for should help your brain move into sleep mode. “Studies have shown that scent can activate the limbic system, which processes emotions and memory,” Dr. Anna Persaud tells Marie Claire. “This, in turn, affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls our levels of energy and rest. Over time we also create a connection in our brains that links the fragrance of a pillow mist to the experience of feeling sleepy. It’s a stimulus for relaxation and can help to sustain a healthy sleep pattern.”
So, whether that scent is lavender, vetiver, rosemary, or simply your favorite lotion, you can train your brain to associate it with rest.
The Most Calming Scents To Choose For A Pillow Mist
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By Paige McBride/May 3, 2021 12:25 pm EST
Lavender is the obvious go-to for sleep. Relaxing, soothing, and sedative, this scent characterizes massage spaces and wellness studios all over the world. Adding it to your pillow can have the same calming effect. As for the scientific reasons behind these benefits, Professor Tim Jacob, a neurologist from the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, explains, “Smelling it increases alpha waves in the frontal regions of the brain, encouraging you to relax.”
Plus, it lowers your body temperature and blood pressure which spurs melatonin production, the outlet adds. Combined with a scent such as clary sage, a fragrance that promotes muscle relaxation, lavender makes for a perfect bedtime companion.
You can use a spray that contains lavender but is muted by other scents
If lavender isn’t your favorite smell, there are plenty of ways to reap the scent’s calming benefits without being inundated in the floral smell. Health recommends a blend of vetiver and chamomile that mask the smell of pure lavender and easily complement its relaxing benefits. Furthermore, if you want to remove lavender altogether, you can opt for a scent that reminds you of home and feeling safe.
W. Chris Winter, MD, tells the outlet, “Sprays can be helpful if we pair a certain smell in our minds with the act of sleep. This is particularly true with travel. If you associate a certain smell with your bedroom, spraying that in your hotel room can trick your brain into thinking you’re at home.” So, whatever scent you opt for should help your brain move into sleep mode. “Studies have shown that scent can activate the limbic system, which processes emotions and memory,” Dr. Anna Persaud tells Marie Claire. “This, in turn, affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls our levels of energy and rest. Over time we also create a connection in our brains that links the fragrance of a pillow mist to the experience of feeling sleepy. It’s a stimulus for relaxation and can help to sustain a healthy sleep pattern.”
So, whether that scent is lavender, vetiver, rosemary, or simply your favorite lotion, you can train your brain to associate it with rest.
W. Chris Winter, MD, tells the outlet, “Sprays can be helpful if we pair a certain smell in our minds with the act of sleep. This is particularly true with travel. If you associate a certain smell with your bedroom, spraying that in your hotel room can trick your brain into thinking you’re at home.”
So, whatever scent you opt for should help your brain move into sleep mode. “Studies have shown that scent can activate the limbic system, which processes emotions and memory,” Dr. Anna Persaud tells Marie Claire. “This, in turn, affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls our levels of energy and rest. Over time we also create a connection in our brains that links the fragrance of a pillow mist to the experience of feeling sleepy. It’s a stimulus for relaxation and can help to sustain a healthy sleep pattern.”
So, whether that scent is lavender, vetiver, rosemary, or simply your favorite lotion, you can train your brain to associate it with rest.
