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For Sweet Dreams, Smell Sweet Smells
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by Terri Potratz | September 21, 2008 at 02:28 pm
455 views | 7 Recommendations | 4 comments
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15 sleepers volunteered in a study at the University Hospital Mannheim in Germany to see if smells influence the way we dream. Once subjects entered deep REM sleep, researcher Boris Stuck exposed each sleeper to a concentrated dose of smelly air for 10 seconds and then woke them up a minute later to quiz them about their dreams.
All subjects reported a positive dream experience when stimulated by the rose smell, and most experienced the opposite when exposed to the rotten eggs. Stuck says the smells influence the "emotional colouration" of the dream.The team are now looking to recruit people who suffer from nightmares to see if exposure to smells can help make their dreams more pleasant.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 14:51 on September 21st, 2008
Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 16:14 on September 21st, 2008
Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's interesting because I was just browsing, and saw your story! It reminded me that a couple years ago when I was having lots of trouble with my sleep quality I went to a local natural wellness store. At the store I sampled some sprays made with herbs. I found one that I liked and tried it out by spraying a little bit around my bed about 1/2 an hour before I went to sleep. It is called: Sweet Dreams and contains the natural oil essences from Rose, Chamomile and Valerian.
It worked incredibly well. I used it every night, then three times a week, and then once a week. After about two months I no longer used it but still found myself sleeping better! I think that it's because my brain remembered the 'scent' and all I had to do was just think about it (remember it's sweet smell) and I fell asleep within 15 min's. whereas it used to take me at least an hour before!
at 19:24 on September 21st, 2008
That's so neat Angelica - scents play such a prominent role in human emotion and memory, it doesn't surprise me in the least that it can be used to conjure up any number of emotions or responses. Marketers have even caught onto this - many retail stores use scents that are affiliated with positive feelings in order to promote the urge to buy.
at 14:07 on September 23rd, 2008
Hi Terri! Just read your comment and I immediately recalled that each time I went by the store, the Body Shop, it was always filled with some aromatic scent from an aerosol type container! To be honest with you it produced the opposite effect in me than I'm sure they wanted because I found it to be so overwhelming that I had to quickly get away from the place! It just seemed to be an insult to my senses - as it hit me so powerfully! I definitely prefer more subtle aromas ... and I haven't been inside one of those stores since those experiences! I do keep some oil essences at home to burn - but then I control how much (or little) I use! My favourite is definitely the Rose an Lavender!