Dream Scents

 Flowers have always been a joy to the eye and soul but German scientists now say they are also a blessing for our sleep, as their scent can lead to sweeter dreams. And it is no longer a secret that sweet dreams have a huge impact on the quality of our sleep, feeling way much rested whenever dreaming something that pleases us.

The study was presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting inChicago. For a period of thirty days, 15 sleeping women were exposed in turn to smell of roses, rotten eggs or no scent at all. The researchers led by Professor Boris Stuck from the University Hospital Mannheim waited until the women had entered the REM phase of sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) and then pumped the scents under their noses for nearly ten seconds. Rapid Eye Movement phase is the period of sleep when the dreaming occurs.

Then the women were woken up and asked to record their dreams. The researchers surprisingly found that the women had “sweet” dreams whenever they smelled rose scent. On the other hand, the dreams were negative whenever the women smelled rotten eggs.

Based on these findings, the researchers said it would be interesting to study this method in people who usually have nightmares and see if positive smells can actually influence the mood of their dreams too.

“This initial research is a step in the direction towards clarifying these questions and may well lead to therapeutic benefits,” Dr. Irshaad Ebrahim of The London Sleep Centre said.