Sweet Smells May Promote Sweet Dreams

The scent of flowers may lead to pleasant dreams, a new study reports.

The study, presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation annual meeting in Chicago, found that the smell of rotten eggs during sleep caused dreams to become negative, while the smell of roses had a positive effect.

German researchers, led by Boris Stuck, a professor of otorhinolaryngology at Heidelberg University, studied 15 healthy females. When the women entered rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep (the stage when most dreaming occurs), they were exposed to a non-odorous control, the smell of roses or the smell of rotten eggs for 10 seconds. One minute later, the participants were woken up. Each woman was exposed to each substance once.

When the women woke up, they were asked to describe their dreams and how they felt during the dreams. Dreams were reported in 40 out of the 45 awakenings. All of the participants reported positive dreams when they were exposed to the scent of roses, while most reported negative dreams when they were exposed to the scent of rotten eggs.

Aromatherapy has been used for many years to reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep. During aromatherapy essential oils from plants are diluted and then sprayed in the air, inhaled or applied to the skin. Massage is often used to deliver oils into the body, and is considered the most effective method.

Lavender aromatherapy is commonly used for relaxation and has been shown to relieve anxiety. Early research suggests that lavender may help improve sleep quality, particularly in people with insomnia.

Previous studies have found that other types of stimulation during sleep, such as pressure, sound or vibration, may also affect dreams.

For more information about integrative therapies for sleep disturbances, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness database.

Comments

[jacey turner]

Gosh, maybe I should start putting fresh flowers and other sources of aromatherapy in my daughter's bedroom to ward off her recurrent nightmares of people in masks, which are only bound to get worse as Halloween approaches.

I've also read about aromatherapy's benefits for people with dementia (though the effects seem to be short-term here), and as a way to boost your mood. Seems like a simple, safe way to make improvements. Back to the dreams: I wonder what the effect is for people who can't stand the smell of roses or for some odd reason, can't get enough of rotten eggs?

[Mk]

I actually have a difficult time falling asleep at night ,and when I eventually do, I always have vivid dreams. I never thought of aromatherapy as a solution, but it could be an effective method of clearing my mind before I sleep. Anyone know more about this?

[shannon]

I think PK brings up a very good point. Lavender is a very popular scent known to induce relaxation, and I myself, think it’s a calming scent too. However, as we all have different tastes in food, I can’t help to think that we may find different scents to be pleasant and unpleasant. For example, there is a huge variety in scented candles. I once had a roommate who loved to burn her cinnamon candle, but I hated the smell of it. I think what we can take from this story is that pleasant scents (relative to each individual) would promote pleasant dreams.

[sally]

I wonder what the best option would be to apply this information to our everyday sleep habits. Cut flowers on the bedside table? Using oils of some kind before you go to bed? I would love to do this on my own, but I’m not sure what the best way would be to ensure the scent is around when REM sleep occurs throughout the night.

[TL]

It is not surprising, as I can see the blooming market on this stuff in the mall. I found that sweet smells (especially lavender) are not only promoting better sleep, but they can also be used as air fresheners.

[liz]

It is not surprising that this study found out that sweet smells promoted sweet dreams. Smell can trigger memory in addition to instant change in either good or bad feeling in the body. People associate certain smells to childhood memories or events in one’s life.

[James]

I prefer a lighter smell. I hate scented candles or fragrances that tend to take over the whole room, but I must agree that the right amount can really help one to relax. Everyone does bring up a good point about how smells are interpreted differently by everyone. It is so interesting how the brain can associate these smells with various memories and moods in people.

[Kelley]

Sleep deprivation or lack of proper restful sleep is a problem for many. Although this study is new, the fact that pleasant surroundings for pleasant, sweet dreams is not new; roses vs. rotten eggs or lavender vs onions. I’d like to hear more on whether positive dreams impact patients with head or neck surgery or trauma.

[SUMA]

After reviewing an article in the Natural Standard database I found that: aromatherapy is often used to decrease stress and anxiety and increase relaxation. The olfactory nerves at the top of the nasal cavity have a very short and direct pathway to the limbic system in the brain, which directly influences heart rate, blood pressure and breathing and also plays key roles in memory, emotion, stress and hormone levels. The limbic system is also believed to play a role in the stimulation of subconscious memories or mood states in response to specific scents or smells.

Sleep plays an important role in maintaining one’s overall health; therefore, if aromatherapy can help decrease stress and promote a more restful sleep, I am all for it. Seems like we all need to identify scents that we enjoy and are associated with pleasant memories and surround ourselves with them at bedtime!

[Anna]

I have always enjoyed the smell of lavender -- it is relaxing! I have always felt that it makes me sleep better at night. I never realized that this could affect my dreams, but I will try to become more aware of this now. Reading this article certainly confirms the benefits of aromatherapy relaxation before going to bed and how it can contribute to a better night's sleep.

[kinah]

I think everyone’s on the money here about scents being pleasant and nostalgic. After all, the perfume business has been around for hundreds of years. It was inevitable for this to happen, that is, to link fragrant scents to better sleep, whether you remember the dreams being “sweet” or not. For me, sleeping in a bed with fresh, out-of-the-laundry linen makes me calm, and I love it!

[PK]

I wonder if the same results would be seen with male participants. Granted, rotten eggs are fairly universally accepted to have an unpleasant odor (aka stench), but are roses universally accepted to be pleasant?

[mark]

This finding needs further explanation. I wonder if smell is the only sense that can influence dreams. What about other senses such as sounds, pressure etc.? Can they also influence the content of dreams?

[kellie]

This is essentially, aromatherapy. We know that aromatherapy revitalizes us and enhances our well being. It’s a no-brainer that sweet smells would promote sweet dreams. Although, as many have commented, I don’t think is has to be “sweet” scent, per se, but rather, just a pleasant one.

[shelly]

PK brings up a good point; I wonder how this would affect the male population. I've heard time and time again that females have a better sense of smell than males. The scents that may be relaxing to females may not have the same effects in males. Or, in the case of roses, the scent may have to be much stronger for males to recognize it; I've watched my brothers smell roses a hundred times and they don't seem to think they have a scent at all.

[carolyn]

Although I do agree that aromatherapy may help one fall asleep and even have pleasant dreams, I also believe that we have to eliminate factors that make it more difficult for us to fall asleep or remove stimulants that can cause unpleasant dreams. In addition to trying aromatherapy, I would first remove the stressors (such as stress, caffeine and alcohol) and modify your lifestyle so it includes proper diet/nutrition and exercise. Once you feel better overall, I bet that adding aromatherapy can do so much more as far as the relaxation response. After all, even if you use aromatherapy, there will still be stressors if you don't modify your habits.

[hana]

Smells trigger emotional reactions. So it is possible that the sweet smell of roses might help make the participants' dreams more pleasant. This study shows how we unconsciously process smells all the time. This is good news for those who sleep by the ocean and bad news for those with a stinky partner.

[justine]

Yes, I am with Shelly. I don’t think men will appreciate this association as much as women. It could be my high sense of smell or it very well could be that men just don’t care to notice things in the air too much to smell it? Unless I point out to my boyfriend a smell, he would not notice it. So then again, maybe this type of aromatherapy would work if you tell men, “This scent is pleasant and calming and will help you sleep better.” Well, one might argue with that statement as a forced conscious alert and placebo effect carries over.

[Becca]

Lavender aromatherapy has been used for years to help calm and relax people -- either during massage or sleep. Lavender is also very popular in nursing homes to promote calming atmospheres for dementia and Alzheimer's patients. Not only do the sweet smells help to relax us, but they can also affect us during sleep too!

[mikey]

As Hana mentioned, smells trigger emotional reactions. This, however, could be interpreted to mean different things. One may have had a bad experience with roses; perhaps they were the last thing they smelled before getting violently ill in the past. This would therefore be more likely to trigger a bad dream. Aromatherapy has its benefits, but the same response should not be expected in everyone.

[Karen]

While I agree that aromatherapy is effective, especially when it comes to relaxation, I also wonder about the placebo effect. Knowing that you are lighting a lavender candle, which will promote relaxation, puts you in a little "at ease" mood because you are expecting relaxation. Similarly, if by putting some fresh flowers next your bed helps you fall asleep, great! But the important thing to remember here is: train your mind to relax so that your body will relax, too!

[dp]

Since REM sleep come in cycles, timing would be an issue. I would think roses, lavender or any other scent to illicit dreams would have to placed under the nose at the right time to be most effective. Based on this study, I wonder if certain sounds can induce relaxation and dreams during REM sleep?

[diane]

Carolyn brought up a good point on how aromatherapy can help with sleep. However, if we do not remove the stressors (caffeine, overworking), then the effect of the aromatherapy won’t be able to help at all. Regardless how much you enjoy the sweet smell and how much it helps with your sleep, if you keep drinking coffee or tea before bedtime, it will be much harder to have a good sleep, let alone a pleasant dream.

[rickshaw]

DP brings up a good point; it would be difficult for this to work properly since REM sleep is cyclical. Without placement of the scent under the nose at the proper times, it may not work properly. If the scent were in the room all evening, would the sleeping person get used to the smell, and therefore, not have the same effects as one who had the scent administered at proper times?

[Zoe]

I’m wondering what a commercial application of the findings from this study could be. Hotels spritzing pillow covers and sheets with lavender- or rose-scented sprays to promote better sleep at their hotel so consumers keep coming back? I have a feeling this is probably already being done. Any other ideas?