I’m preparing to talk to a group of students about the power of aromatherapy in supporting them through exam season. I know this can be a really stressful and overwhelming time for young people as the pressure is on to perform. Having an easy and effective tool for managing stress, improving sleep and finding focus gives them comfort and confidence during this important time. My top recommendation is, of course, aromatherapy! If you or someone you know is preparing to take exams, here’s how aromatherapy can help.
How to use aromatherapy during exam season
For clarity, aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for their therapeutic properties, of which there are many, including benefits for the mind, skin and body.
To reduce stress
Essential oils are a powerful stress reliever. When you smell the aromas, particles reach your brain and influence the limbic system. This is connected to many of the bodily functions that make up our stress response like heart rate and blood pressure. So, a relaxing essential oil blend can relieve physical tension, helping us feel calm and grounded. That’s exactly how we want to feel when studying and going into exams!
Start with the Relax Rollerball and use it as a calming anchor whenever, wherever. Simply apply to the pulse points and take three deep breaths of the aromas.
For a lovely soothing ritual, use the Relax & Unwind bath/shower gel and body oil. Pour the gel into a running bath and then follow with the body oil to cocoon yourself in the aromas.
To ease sleep
The stress reduction qualities of essential oils support sleep too. When we switch off the stress response, we go from fight or flight mode into rest and digest mode. This is also known as going from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s in this state that our minds quiet, our bodies relax and we can drift off into restorative sleep.
Apply the Sleep Sound rollerball to the pulse points to ease the transition into sleep. I like applying it to my palms as well because I rest them near my face and continue to inhale the aromas as I lie in bed.
The Sleep Please mist is also a great way to fill your surroundings with soothing scents that gently carry you from wakefulness and awareness to deep sleep.
To aid learning
As essential oils have a powerful effect on the brain and, in turn, the body, they can support the learning process too. Firstly, let’s look at focus. Essential oils help the nervous system switch on and off. So it can help you be alert when you need to, just as it can help you relax when you want to. The difference is in the essential oil blend.
When sitting down to study, apply the Clear Focus rollerball to alert your senses that it’s time to focus. You can also benefit from starting the day with an awakening shower using the Refresh & Uplift shower gel and body oil.
There are studies to show that being consistent with the essential oil aromas you use when learning, revising, sleeping and taking an exam helps performance. The studies worked like this. An odour was diffused while the students were learning, during sleep that night and when asked to recall what they learned a week later. There were two interesting things about the results.
- Vocabulary Learning Enhancement: In a study involving 160 participants learning German Japanese word pairs, those exposed to a rose odour during learning, sleep and testing phases demonstrated an 8.5% higher recall compared to other groups. This suggests that consistent odour cueing across all phases can significantly enhance memory consolidation.
- Reduction in Memory Decay: A study with high school students learning a history lesson found that those who experienced the same odour (coconut) during learning and the first night of sleep (after the learning) retained 50% of the information after one week, compared to 37.1% retention in the control group exposed to a different odour. This indicates a 12.9 percentage point improvement in long-term memory retention.
It goes to show that consistently using the same essential oil blends as we head into exam season is proven to be worth it!
How you make aromatherapy part of your life is up to you. For students, I would recommend the aromatherapy rollerball set because these can be easily used in the classroom, while studying at home and before going into exams. Add in other supportive aromatherapy products to enhance the benefits you’re looking for such as sleep support and relaxation. Browse the full Esker Fields range HERE and good luck!