Essential oils for focus and memory
Mentally preparing for a big test or spending long nights studying can be stressful and fatiguing at times. However, there are some effective ways to provide relief for studying fatigue — research shows that mental clarity and memory improve when associated with a certain smell. A recent study presented at the 2013 Neuroscience conference hosted by the Society For Neuroscience suggests that essential oils such as rosemary and spearmint activate brain centers that are responsible for memory and cognition. With these and several other therapeutic oils, you can harness these findings when you hit the books.
Essential Oils For Focus and Reduce Your Stress
Rosemary
This concentration boosting essential oil is popular among students during exam time. Helpful to stimulate the senses while evoking calm, rosemary essential oil is an excellent nerve and brain tonic. The signs and symptoms that accompany the stress of studying such as mild depression, fatigue and forgetfulness respond well to the inhalation of rosemary. Need to refocus your attention, even a small dab of rosemary can help.
Peppermint
Along with its antiseptic properties, spearmint is known for its stimulating properties. Spearmint’s cooling and relaxing effect on the brain helps remove cognitive stress to help you concentrate. This oil is beneficial for overall brain health and can help reduce headaches often associated with studying.
Sage
If one all encompassing word describes sage’s essential oil activity it’s stimulation. Known to powerfully stimulate brain activity, sage is a great whole-body harmonizing oil to add to your blends while studying and test taking.
Basil
Basil is an excellent essential oil to bring mental clarity when studying and test taking. This oil is known to bring mental strength and can be used to help reduce nervous tension, mild depression, mental fatigue and migraines often associated with long study hours.
Bay Laurel
Sitting and studying for hours can be stressful and frustrating. Bay laurel adds a mild sedating effect to the nervous system allowing stress to ease. When it’s time to take your test, bay laurel comes in handy to help stimulate memory recall and ease tension headaches.
Put Your Essential Oils To “The Test”
Try this experiment to help you store and synthesize information as you study to help you score big on your next test.
When you sit down to study, spray the study area with your essential oil blend or place a diffuser in the area. If a spray or diffuser is not available, not to worry, dab a quarter size drop on a tissue or cotton ball and place in the study area so you can smell the oils- not too close so that it overwhelms, yet rather heightens your senses. Follow this procedure every time you sit down to study.
On the day of the test, apply a drop or two of the essential oil blend to your collar, to a cotton ball or tissue that you can place on your desk or work station while you take the test. Based on how information is passed from synapse to synapse in our brains, the familiar smell at the test will help usher in an enhanced memory of the materials you’ve been studying for weeks now. As an added bonus, the familiar scent may also help to increase confidence because it signals familiarity and helps you stay calm, free of stress while taking your test.
Make an Essential Oil Spray
- 10 drops peppermint
- 8 drops of the basil, bay laurel, sage and rosemary
- Place these oils in an amber bottle, cap and swirl together
- In a spray bottle containing 8 oz water, pour essential oil mixture and shake vigorously
- Shake before each application
Use while studying and save a few drops to dab on your collar day of the test.