Studying isn’t hard. But staying focused to study is!
If consuming caffeine is your go-to, you may be thinking of an alternative because that insane caffeine crash gets you everytime.
Here are 5 essential oils that can help you get that natural brain boost easily! No more needless caffeine crash taking your focus away.
1. Eucalyptus
The menthol effect in eucalyptus gives our brain a “kick” because of its vapour. Studies show that inhaling eucalyptus causes your nose to have a cold sensation with reports of improved nasal airflow [1]. And with improved airflow, we are able to breathe better and take in more oxygen which helps fuel our brains to stay focused!
2. Peppermint
Similar to eucalyptus, peppermint also provides us with the menthol of giving our brain a “kick”. Only this time, it is proven to be effective in preventing fatigue [2]. If you keep falling asleep while studying, this is the one for you!
And if we’re not sleepy, we need to make sure that what we studied stays in our brain! Further studies have shown that peppermint was found to enhance memory and increase alertness [3].
3. Basil
Struggling to stay awake is not the only problem we face while studying. Sometimes, studying too much without breaks can be a bad thing too. Which is why basil is useful in helping to reduce mental exhaustion and burnout [4]. Your brain can rest better which means you can have longer and more effective study periods.
4. Rosemary
Sometimes you feel like you’ve wasted your effort studying because you can’t remember what you’ve learnt. Well, here’s where rosemary comes in handy! There are many studies done to prove that rosemary indeed have beneficial effects on learning and memory [5]. Even a 2018 study on school children has confirmed that it could potentially be a memorisation boost in schools [6]. If you ever feel yourself in a pinch for last minute studying, rosemary has statistically increased the productivity of short-term memory of students done in this study. It has been proven that inhalation of rosemary essential oils increase image memory and memorisation of numbers.
5. Lavender
Most people associate lavender with helping calm nerves and improve sleep. Which seems counterproductive when we are talking about its effectiveness while studying. Apart from the proven use of lavender to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, it has also shown subjects being more active, fresher and improved brain activity mainly in the bilateral temporal and central area [7]. This area is commonly associated with processing auditory information and the encoding of memory. Which means your brain stays alert and retains what you studied!
Start getting more productive with these 5 oils above! A much easier way to start is with our Calla Me Brainy blend which contains all 5 of these oils to reach your maximum potential.
They are available in our iconic Stick Balm forms for easy application on your body and travel-friendly. Get Calla Me Brainy Stick Balm here now!
Or in a pure essential oil form for diffusion in your house, perfect for setting up a conducive environment to study. Get Calla Me Brainy Drip here now!
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Disclaimer
The article written represents the writers' opinions based on their findings. It is not meant to be expert/medical advice. Users are solely responsible for fully understanding the safety and risks of essential oils.
Citations
[1] - Burrow, A., Eccles, R., & Jones, A. S. (1983). The effects of camphor, eucalyptus and menthol vapour on nasal resistance to airflow and nasal sensation. Acta oto-laryngologica, 96(1-2), 157-161.
[2] - Meamarbashi, A., & Rajabi, A. (2013). The effects of peppermint on exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-15
[3] - Moss, M., Hewitt, S., Moss, L., & Wesnes, K. (2008). Modulation of cognitive performance and mood by aromas of peppermint and ylang-ylang. The International journal of neuroscience, 118(1), 59–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207450601042094
[4] - Varney, E., & Buckle, J. (2013). Effect of inhaled essential oils on mental exhaustion and moderate burnout: a small pilot study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(1), 69-71.
[5] - Farr, S. A., Niehoff, M. L., Ceddia, M. A., Herrlinger, K. A., Lewis, B. J., Feng, S., Welleford, A., Butterfield, D. A., & Morley, J. E. (2016). Effect of botanical extracts containing carnosic acid or rosmarinic acid on learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Physiology & behavior, 165, 328–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.08.013
[6] - Filiptsova, O. V., Gazzavi-Rogozina, L. V., Timoshyna, I. A., Naboka, O. I., Dyomina, Y. V., & Ochkur, A. V. (2018). The effect of the essential oils of lavender and rosemary on the human short-term memory. Alexandria Journal of Medicine, 54(1), 41-44.
[7] - Sayorwan, W., Siripornpanich, V., Piriyapunyaporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Ruangrungsi, N. (2012). The effects of lavender oil inhalation on emotional states, autonomic nervous system, and brain electrical activity.