Let me guess, you just got home from school and you feel like you’re never going to survive this week. You sat in school for eight hours and you have at least two hours of homework. You feel stressed and unmotivated. Well, there is a solution to help relieve some of that stress. Presenting the Scented Candle.
First, we need to understand how scented candles benefit you. According to colonialcandle.com, once they reach your nose, scents are detected by olfactory receptors. The receptors send signals to the part of our brain that is related to emotion and memory—this is called the limbic system. It generates hormones called serotonin and dopamine that can help regulate your mood.
But how do scented candles work? Well, when a candle is lit, the wax melts around the center of the wick. The wick absorbs the wax and pulls it upward. Then the wax evaporates from the flame’s heat and turns into a gas, which then burns the scented vapor wax and becomes a fragrance.
As it turns out, there is a lot of science that goes into the making of scented candles. There are also a myriad of different scents that can benefit you and your mental well-being.
Stress is something that everyone deals with. We are constantly being forced into high-stress situations and it is very difficult to come down from that. Sometimes it just feels like everything is piling on and you can’t get a break. Believe it or not, certain scents can actually calm your mind. The scent of lavender is known to calm anxiety and reduce stress. Plus, candles can create a relaxing ambiance that is perfect for some time to de-stress.
According to healthline.com, lavender can affect the parasympathetic nervous system—a system that controls things associated with anxiety (breathing, heart rate, etc). Lavender helps with this because the scent calms that part of your brain and restores it to a more neutral state.
Lots of people also have trouble falling asleep. Maybe there is too much on your mind, you have a big assignment due tomorrow that you’re nervous about, or your body simply refuses to fall asleep. Luckily, there are candle scents to help with that! Vanilla and chamomile are both soothing scents that you can light before bed that create a calm atmosphere and soothe your senses. It can take your mind off of stressful things and help you drift off.
Many candles can also evoke positive memories. There is a spot in your brain called the hippocampus which organizes and holds memories. The smell of the candle eventually gets sent to your hippocampus and it analyzes the smell. If the smell is deemed important, it can be stored away. Usually smells are “important” when they are connected to a significant or emotional memory. Even years later, if you run across that same smell that your hippocampus stored away, it will recognize it and bring back the memory of the event associated with the smell.
Say, for example, you get accepted into an Ivy League school. You’re in your room, burning a vanilla-scented candle. Your parents come in and hand you the letter. Years later, if you run across a similar smell, the memory can be triggered by your hippocampus and cause you to remember being accepted into that college.
All in all, candles can make a huge impact on your social and emotional health. They have the unique ability to calm an agitated nervous system and keep your mind off of things. Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, go to the store, buy a candle, and see for yourself what it can do.
