Many people use aromatherapy to improve their mood or sleep, treat nausea or aches and pains, or lower stress. But it’s important to understand the science behind this complementary treatment.
Some studies show that aromatherapy may help reduce trait anxiety. But other studies don’t support these claims. Talk to your healthcare provider about using aromatherapy for anxiety.
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In this practice, you inhale or apply diluted essential oils to your skin. You can also use oil-infused products like lotions and bath salts. Aromatherapy may help with a number of health problems, including anxiety and insomnia.
Inhaling an aromatherapy blend of lavender, chamomile, and other oils can help people with anxiety relax. It might decrease activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for a “fight or flight” response and physical symptoms, such as sweaty palms or a racing heart.
Other studies show that aromatherapy might help people with insomnia sleep better at night and reduce the frequency of hot flashes caused by hormone therapy for breast cancer treatment. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings. Talk to your healthcare provider before trying any CAM, including aromatherapy. He or she can explain whether it might benefit you based on your medical history and current health status.
How does aromatherapy work?
Aromatherapy uses essential oils (liquids distilled from the roots, leaves, seeds or flowers of plants) to promote wellness and health. These oils can be used in a diffuser, inhaled through the nose or added to a natural product like a bath, massage oil or soap.
The smells of certain essential oils are thought to stimulate the olfactory receptors in your nose, which send signals to the limbic system of the brain that affect mood and pain perception. This helps to calm, energize or relax the person and may help relieve symptoms of disease.
Some studies show that aromatherapy can reduce anxiety, nausea and pain during cancer treatment. But there’s not enough evidence to support other claims, such as that it can improve quality of life for people with dementia or ease labor and childbirth. Talk to your healthcare provider before trying aromatherapy. This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the use of aromatherapy with essential oils for treating cancer. It is updated regularly as new information becomes available.
What are essential oils?
Essential oils are the scented oil extracts of certain plants that contain the plant’s characteristic smell and flavor. They can also have other biological activities, such as antimicrobial or antioxidant properties. The quality of an oil can vary, depending on how the plant was grown and harvested and how the oil is processed and stored.
These oils can be used alone or mixed with carrier oil, which helps dilute them. The diluted oils are applied to the skin or inhaled. They can also be added to bath water or massaged into the skin.
Research has shown that the scent of some oils can help relax muscles, boost mood and promote sleep. But more research is needed to determine whether essential oils can treat health conditions. You should never take essential oils by mouth or add them to undiluted lotions or other products that could cause a skin reaction. Instead, use them under the guidance of an aromatherapist or your doctor.
What conditions are treated with aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy uses extracts from flowers, herbs and trees to improve your physical and mental well-being. You breathe in these oils through your nose or put them on your skin in a lotion or bath salts.
Laboratory and animal studies suggest that certain scents may have a variety of effects. But no rigorous clinical trials (studies with people) have tested these claims.
One study suggests that aromatherapy might help you relax and sleep better. It also may reduce the symptoms of stress, such as a fast heartbeat and sweaty palms. Other research shows that the relaxing aroma of lavender might make you feel less anxious.
Adding essential oils to your bath or putting them in a vaporizer might help you sleep. It might lower your blood pressure and relieve pain from arthritis. The calming scent of certain essential oils might help you relax before surgery or other procedures. And some research suggests that aromatherapy might ease trait anxiety (a general tendency to feel anxious on a regular basis). But talk to your doctor before trying this therapy.
