The Nose Knows in Ways You Might Not Even Know

Our noses and sense of smell may be even more important than we’ve thought. The things we smell are carried from the nose to the brain by the olfactory nerve. This nerve is the only sensory nerve that goes directly to the brain’s limbic system which is where memories are made and stored.

In our modern society our sense of smell is underused and underdeveloped. Our sense of smell even diminishes rapidly after age 60.

A study published in the journal Neuroscience in 2023 found that exposing people to odors can dramatically improve memory. 

In this study the researcher exposed 43 men and women between the ages of 60 to 85 to 2 hours of aromas from different essential oils using a vaporizer while the people were sleeping. The control groups vaporizer was odorless. The study lasted 6 months.

Keep in mind that none of the people had memory problems or thinking difficulties. 

Here’s the amazing part. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the group that was experiencing the multiple odors improved their memory and cognitive skills by 226%. You read this right – two hundred and twenty-six percent!

Sense of smell is a strong predictor of age-related memory loss and dementia. It may also be the first sign of Parkinson’s disease. It’s also been linked to MS and even brain tumors.

Olfactory stimulation is now a part of the treatment for long COVID since loss of smell is part of the diagnosis for a person having long COVID. Recent reviews have found that using different smells is more effective than nasal sprays and oral steroids.

An added benefit of olfactory stimulations is significant improvements in sleep time and the quality of sleep. 

The key to success is using a variety of odors and the frequency of smelling them. There is at least one group of researchers that is working on developing a home essential oil diffuser that you can program to run for 2 hours and expose you to a variety of essential oil odors.

So…sniff, sniff, oh what a benefit it can be!
(Reported Bottom Line Health, April 2024)