Diffuser Use Overnight May Improve Memory

 

Exciting news, readers! A new study suggests that a non-invasive and affordable approach to improving memory may increase quality of life for older adults.

The study, undertaken at the University of California, Irvine, and published last week in Frontiers in Neuroscience, is groundbreaking for understanding and developing smell interventions toward improving memory while we sleep. Scientists already know that loss of smell is associated with 70 conditions, chief among them Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Long Covid sufferers have also complained of lingering loss of smell and cognitive decline.

The UC Irvine investigators found that minimal olfactory stimulation two hours per night for six months using scented diffusers resulted in a 226% improvement in memory, even in participants with dementia. The seven scents participants were exposed to included lavender, rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, and rosemary.

A copy of the original article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Frontiers in Neuroscience, is listed below. I also found an overview of the study on YouTube with descriptive graphics, and it is less than four minutes long.

Yesterday, I purchased a diffuser and three vials of natural oils and placed it next to the bed. It certainly can’t hurt and besides, the bedroom smells heavenly! AgeDoc

 

References:

 

Woo, C.C., Miranda, B., Satishkumar, M., Dehkordi-Vakil, F. Yassa, M.A., & Leon, M. (2023, 24 July). Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults. Frontiers in Neuroscience, Vol. 17. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448

 

A Whiff of Memory: How Scents Boost Cognitive Performance in Older Adults - Neuroscience News. 

YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9iMmNum_zg