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

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