Can Scent Help You Sleep Better? A New Study Says Yes.
- tony23646
- Jul 24
- 1 min read
If you’ve ever lit a lavender candle or sprayed a calming mist on your pillow, you’re not alone—and now science backs you up. A new study shows that diffusing fragrance before bed may actually help improve your sleep.
The Study: Real Bedrooms, Real Results
Researchers tracked the sleep of 26 healthy women aged 21 to 55 over nine weeks. All participants had an interest in using scent to support better sleep.
After a baseline week, each person spent three weeks using a fragrance diffuser (by Reckitt’s Scientific Platform) for at least an hour before bedtime, followed by three weeks without it—or vice versa. The diffuser was placed in the room they spent the most time in before bed.
Sleep was measured with SleepScore Max, and participants also completed short surveys at night and in the morning.
What Changed? Better Sleep, Better Mood
Over 835 nights of sleep data, the results were clear. While using the diffuser, participants:
Got more deep sleep
Woke up less during the night
Had more consistent sleep
Reported feeling sleepier at bedtime
Felt they had better sleep and better mood—both at night and in the morning
No negative effects were reported.
What It Means
The results suggest that diffusing fragrance before bed may boost both sleep quality and mood—even for people without diagnosed sleep problems. And because the results were supported by both tracking data and personal reports, there’s real promise here.
So if you’re looking for a simple, relaxing way to improve your nighttime routine, it might be time to plug in that diffuser.
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