Aromatic candles and incense sticks have become an integral part of many people’s self care routine. With aromatherapy being one of the most holistic healing treatments, aromatic oils are medically proven to improve your mental health. As smell is the strongest out of all your five senses it can help you in many ways. On the days when you are feeling less productive or have a block, try spicing up the environment with some aromatic oils to boost up the brain activity and increase productivity. These fragrances make you feel good and help to relax your mind on a day full of chaos.
Here we have a list of 5 essential aromatic oils that will not just please your nose but will help to improve your productivity, reduce the stress and calm your mind along with taking care of your psychological well being. Without further ado let’s dive right into this article to know about how aromatherapy can be helpful in reducing stress and 5 aromas that can help you to calm your mind and reduce stress.
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is not a very new concept but is being used in the ancient cultures of Egypt, China and India for centuries. The ancient civilisations used this technique in the form of oils, balms and resins for religious and medical purposes. Aromatherapy is a technique that works through the sense of smell and skin absorption. Aromatherapy helps a person in improving sleep and anxiety by breathing or massaging the essential oil plant extracts on their skin.
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These essential oils are made out of different parts of the plants such as bark, flower, herb or roots. The essence collected from these parts of a plant help in activating the receptors of the nose which then send a message to the brain via the nervous system.This then helps in activating the areas of your brain like hypothalamus and the limbic system. As these areas of the brain get activated, they then tend to release some feel good hormones like serotonin.
Aromatherapy can help a person in many possible ways like in improving sleep, easing stress, fighting bacteria on the skin, easing depression, making one feel relaxed and ease certain kinds of pain.
5 Aromas to use for a stress free calm mind
Here we have listed 5 aromatic oils that will help you to relax and calm your mind and increase your overall productivity at the same time.
#1. Cinnamon
Who does not loves the spicy and sweet scent of cinnamon and that too in the autumn season. A spice that adds a refreshing flavour to your food and is known for its varied health benefits as well. Cinnamon is known to control blood sugar levels and the blood pressure, due to its antibacterial properties it helps in curing various bacterial infections, with the abundance of antioxidants it has anti-inflammatory effects and also helps to relieve digestive issues. Cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties.
Benefits of cinnamon essential oil for your mind are-
- Boosts memory: Whenever a person learns something new, the brain cells create new connections with each other. A structure formed by brain cells called dendritic spines that reach neurons. Cinnamon helps to create a chemical called sodium benzoate by breaking down in the body. This chemical compound helps in encouraging the neurons to to grow and hence promote a longer neuron life.
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- Makes you feel good: Cinnamon and cinnamon scent is known for its association with dopamine which is a feel good chemical. Responsible for the feeling of pleasure, this is a type of neurotransmitter that your nervous system uses to send the message between the nerve cells and plays a vital role in the way we feel pleasure.
- Enhances Sleep: Cinnamon helps in relaxing your body muscles and removing stress from your body. This reduced stress and relaxed body muscles helps you to sleep better. It also helps to reduce mental fatigue and helps you to relax.
#2. Chamomile
A daisy-like plant that is used to make herb infusion, chamomile has a lot of health benefits. It is a herb which has gained a lot of popularity in recent times and is being used in the form of tea and essential oil. This herb helps in reducing inflammation, preventing cancer, treating the symptoms of cold, easing menstrual pain, relaxing mind, treating diabetes and enhancing sleep. The benefits of chamomile aroma for the brain are-
- Relieves stress: One of the most popular stress soothing herbs, chamomile is known for relieving mental stress and making you feel good. Using chamomile scented candles, infused sticks or aroma oil can help you ease the stress after a long day. It helps to increase the melatonin and the serotonin levels in your body. These chemicals are responsible for eliminating stress from your body.
- Treats headache and migraine: What if we tell you that you no longer need to pop those pills in order to get relief from that headache? All you need to do is smell some chamomile oil and you are good to go. The smell of chamomile oil helps in increasing the levels of serotonin and melatonin hormone in the body. The increased levels of these hormones helps to provide an instant relief from migraine and headaches.
- Improves sleep quality: We all love a nice good night's sleep without any stress or interruption. A chamomile consists of an antioxidant called apigenin that binds the receptors to your brain and helps in reducing insomnia and the chronic inability to sleep. As it has anti-anxiety properties, chamomile is certainly used to treat insomnia.
#3. Lavender
A flower whose color, name and appearance matches its scent, lavender is a herb which is popular due to its various health benefits. An all rounder herb, lavender helps to reduce skin inflammation, combats fungus growth, reduces blood pressure, eases pain, promotes hair growth, relieves the symptoms of asthma and helps to lessen the menopausal hot flashes. Lavender is a wonder herb that is not only useful for your skin and health issues but can help you with brain functioning as well. The benefits of lavender aroma for your brain are-
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- Reduces Agitates: If you are someone who feels agitated all the time and finds yourself shouting and getting irritated with every other thing, lavender should surely be your best friend. The sweet aroma of lavender has proven to show modest efficiency in the treatment of agitated behaviour in people with severe dementia.
- Reduces Anxiety and Nervousness: Lavender is best known for its ability to create a relaxing atmosphere and calm a person’s mind. It helps to calm the mind without sedating and generates a serene state of mind. Lavender aroma can help to reduce anxiety by affecting the body’s fight to flight response.
#4. Grapefruit
A subcontinental citrus fruit which is known for its semi sweet to sour taste and bright color, grapefruit comes with a lot many health benefits. Including grapefruit in your diet can help you to control appetite and aid weight loss, improve heart health, improve insulin resistance, reduce the risk of kidney stones, keeps you hydrated and is enriched with antioxidant properties. Not just your body health but grapefruit and its aroma can benefit your brain in the following ways too-
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- Helps to balance mood: An imbalance in mood can be caused due to the side effects of some medications taken to treat depression and anxiety. Grapefruit is a compound that helps to counter attack the side effects of these medications and help to balance your mood by its aroma. Grapefruit oil helps to uplift your mood with its aroma and promotes the feeling of vitality
- Improves Concentration: Studying for long hours can eventually result in fatigue and cause the brain to lose focus. Grapefruit oil is an essential oil whose aroma can help you to promote the sense of concentration and focus while studying or reading.
#5. Peppermint
We all love having those colorful peppermint candy and the way it makes us feel nostalgic is unexplainable. Peppermint is a herb which can be used in more than one way and has many health benefits. Peppermint extracts helps to relieve clogged sinuses, ease digestion, freshen up your breath, improve sleep, provide energy and fight bacterial infection. Peppermint has proven to be beneficial for your brain health in the following ways-
- Boosts energy: Here things like glucose helps in providing your body with an instant energy, peppermint aroma is said to energise your mind in no time. If you are someone who starts feeling sluggish in the middle of the day and feels like sleeping around the lunch time then peppermint oil can be of great help. Smelling some peppermint essential oil in the middle of the day will help you to maintain alertness, stay awake and be energised.
- Enhances memory
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Studying throughout and forgetting it at the last moment or keeping stuff and forgetting it later can be a sign of weak memory. If you often find yourself in such situations then peppermint should be your go to essential oil. A natural cognitive enhancer, peppermint oil helps to enhance memory and increases alertness as well.
