Sleep changes vary by odor perception in young adults

A Systematic Review of the Effect of Inhaled Essential Oils on Sleep

“…The reference lists of these identified studies and systematic reviews, along with OVID Medline electronic article mappings, yielded eight additional studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 15 human studies on inhaled essential oils and their effect on sleep were found, 5,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] and their methods and results were summarized and compared (Table 1).…”

“…[42][43][44]49 Ten RCTs screened for olfactory abnormalities [36][37][38][40][41][42][43]45,46,49 and 11 screened and controlled for sleep abnormalities in the design. 36,37,40,42,43,45,46,49 In addition, most used more than one measurement tool and combined objective and subjective measurements. Measurement tools varied widely, as noted in Table 1, but several studies used a version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 37,38,40,44 and polysomnography.…”

“…[36][37][38][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]49 Blinding is a challenge in essential oil research because of the distinct odor of each essential oil. Blinding techniques included using language that was not specific, avoiding visual cues, embedding blocks of odor stimulus in the airflow, administration during sleep, and use of more than one essential oil or substance with an aroma.…”

Versatile Psychophysiological Potencies of Essential Oils, when Seen as a Function of Behavioral Task Assigned to the Participants after Inhalation

“…As for peppermint, evidence for its stimulating properties includes an observation that peppermint aroma caused an increase in electroencephalography (EEG) speed and heart rate during sleep (Badia et al, 1990), an increase in CNV magnitude (Manley, 1993;Torii et al, 1998), a decrease in theta activity (Klemm et al, 1992), and enhanced EEG and behavioral arousal during stage 1 sleep (Carskadon & Herz, 2004). However, arguments against the stimulating properties of peppermint include the finding that peppermint aroma produced a significant decrease in gross speed, net speed, and accuracy in a typing task (Barker et al, 2003); more NREM sleep, less REM sleep, and more slow-wave sleep (Goel & Lao, 2006); and increased alertness, decreased temporal demand, and decreased frustration during simulated driving (Raudenbush et al, 2009). …”

Relationship between Mood Change, Odor and Its Psychophysiological Responses in Humans in Terms of the Sensory Evaluation Spectrum

“…As for peppermint, evidence for its stimulating properties includes an observation that peppermint aroma caused an increase in electroencephalography (EEG) speed and heart rate during sleep (Badia et al, 1990), an increase in CNV magnitude (Manley, 1993, Torii et al, 1988, a decrease in theta activity (Klemm et al, 1992), and enhanced EEG and behavioral arousal during stage 1 sleep (Carskadon & Herz, 2004). However, arguments against the stimulating properties of peppermint include the finding that peppermint aroma produced a significant decrease in gross speed, net speed, and accuracy in a typing task (Barker et al, 2003); more NREM sleep, less REM sleep, and more slow-wave sleep (Goel & Lao, 2006); and increased alertness, decreased temporal demand, and decreased frustration during simulated driving (Raudenbush et al, 2009).…”