Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on how sleeping near aromatherapy fragrances can significantly improve your memory

Many older adults are worried about the sharpness of their memory as they get older. New research out this week shows how one simple change while you are sleeping can significantly improve your memory.  The research published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience took 46 volunteers aged between 60-85 and subjected half of them to various aromatherapy natural oil fragrances for two hours each night while they were sleeping over a 6 month period.  Using a standard memory test, they measured that the volunteers who were exposed to the scents while they slept showed a 226 percent increase in cognitive performance compared to adults that slept with no specific smells overnight.  They also found using fMRI neuroimaging that the aromatherapy exposed volunteers had better integrity in the brain pathway known as the left uncinate fasciculus, which connects the memory centre to the decision-making prefrontal cortex.  Anecdotally, the volunteers exposed to the smells also reported that they slept better overnight.  Scientists have long known that the loss the ability to smell, can predict development of nearly 70 neurological and psychiatric diseases. These include Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and alcoholism.  The olfactory system which is where our sense of smell is centred is directly connected to the brains memory circuits. You many have noticed this when you smell something familiar and it instantly brings up a memory of your past.  This innovative and cheap approach leverages the known connection between smell and memory, offering a potential cheap, non-invasive way to combat cognitive decline and dementia.  It's also great because it happens when you are sleeping so you don't have to worry about fitting it into your day.  For those looking to repeat this amazing experiment at home - the 7 essential oil odorants used in this study were rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.