Are you struggling to get a consistent good night’s sleep? Trying to figure out why you just can’t manage that solid 7 hours of blissful rest each night. You’ve got the comfortable and supportive mattress, tick. You’ve got the room dark and the noise minimal, tick. Your bedroom is clean and clutter-free, tick. You’re avoiding caffeine and you’re exercising, tick. You’ve ticked every box right down to the colours that are conducive to relaxation and rest – so what’s the problem?
Don’t Forget your Nose!
(Photo courtesy of med.stanford.edu)
Smell can actually play an important role in how we sleep. Too often than not we tend to overlook our noses in favour of our eyes and ears, but as studies suggest our noses could be just as important. There is some evidence that certain smells may have an effect on your sleep.
Keep your Bedroom Clean
An untidy room that is full of bad odours can significantly impact the quality of our sleep. Bad smells will certainly not help us drift off to a pleasant and relaxed slumber; instead they can cause irritation and in turn lead to a disrupted and poor sleep. You need to use laundry detergents and a range of other scented products that leave your room smelling nice. Fresh air and a room that is free of allergens can be the ‘make or break’ of a quality sleep.
Allergies and sleep
Dust, pollen, or mould can be especially uncomfortable and disruptive at night. This is a simple reason why a clean room is so paramount. Not only do allergies affect our breathing but their indiscreet smells can play a part too. Wash your sheets in a regular manner and vacuum your house regularly, it could also be a great idea to invest in an air purifier to prevent all those nasty smells and toxins creeping into your room.
Choose Fresh sheets for a better sleep
Not only is it so much nicer jumping into bed with a set of clean sheets, but it is so much healthier and better for our breathing. A recent Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that more than three fourths of people said they are more excited to go to bed when the sheets have a fresh scent, and roughly three quarters of people say they get a more comfortable night’s sleep on sheets with fresh scent.
What about Lavender?
(Image courtesy of www.health.com)
Lavender has been shown to decrease heart rate and blood pressure, therefore helping to put you in a more relaxed state that is conducive to getting that good rest that we all so desperately need. Researchers monitored the brain waves of people at night and found that those who sniffed lavender before bed had a deeper sleep and felt more energetic in the morning. Lavender has also been found to help the sleep of infants, allowing them to sleep more deeply and cry less. Whilst Lavender won’t completely solve all your sleeping needs, it can’t hurt to try a candle and some oils to help create a more soothing and relaxed mood in your bedroom.
Perhaps Peppermint Could Help?
The smell of Peppermint has been found to actually make you less tired. So a whiff of Peppermint in the morning can actually be beneficial to help your mind and body be more stimulated and get you ready for the day ahead. If Peppermint is a great smell that can help with your energy, it is probably best to avoid it at night.
Smell and Dreams
Smells can impact on a wide range of things, emotions, stress, concentration and memory. Whilst lavender releases feel-good hormones and makes us happier, the scent of roses lowers blood pressure and a hint of eucalyptus improves alertness. But how do smells affect our dreams? A study conducted at the Disorders Centre of the University of Heidelberg showed that the emotional content of dreams was linked to smell. Those who had pleasant smells had significantly more pleasant dreams than those who had no smell and the people exposed to the bad smells had the most negative dreams.
Keep it off the Nose
One simple way to ensure you have all the boxes ticked for a great night’s sleep is to manage the smells in your room. If it smells good, chances are you will be in a better state to sleep. Adversely if it smells bad, you’re making it that much more difficult to get a pleasant rest.
