Essential Oil Aromatherapy & Sports Performance
by Melinda Burris Willms
In recent years, Western medicine has demonstrated an increased willingness to explore holistic approaches to wellness, including essential oil aromatherapy. Not surprisingly, the competitive world of sports has also investigated ways essential oils may help athletes augment their performance. This article explains what aromatherapy is, how it is believed to work in humans, and outlines the findings in scientific studies focused specifically on the use of essential oils to facilitate top athletic execution.
WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?
Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential or volatile oils derived from plants for curative or restorative
purposes including a holistic approach to well-being, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual health. In the U.S., essential oils are supplied in topical and inhalation forms. When applied topically, essentially oils must be diluted in carrier oils such as almond, rosehip seed, coconut, grapeseed and other oils that are either odorless or have a faint scent that allows the aroma of the essential oil or oils mixed in them to permeate the blend. It is necessary to dilute essential oils because these plant essences are derived directly from the source through a process of steam distillation or a method of mechanical separation known as cold pressing. Pure essential oils are strong and should not be applied directly to the skin.1The general rule for dilution holds that a few drops of the chosen essence must be mixed at a ratio of 2.5% essential oil to chosen carrier oil.
HOW ESSENTIAL OILS ARE BELIEVED TO WORK
It is theorized that aromatherapy is effective due to “binding of chemical components in the essential oil to receptors” located in the olfactory bulb, found in the lower part of the brain. The olfactory bulb receives information regarding the sense of smell or odor and sends this information to the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for processing memory and emotion. Through noninvasive functional imaging, medical studies have shown that the sense of smell is tied to the brain’s emotional pathways.1
MEDICAL STUDIES INVOLVING ESSENTIAL OILS
A wide variety of scientific studies have been conducted on essential oils including the effect they have on mood, stress, and level of attentiveness in individuals. Researchers note that sense of smell has consistently been demonstrated to have precise effects on brain function, behavior, and emotional response. Aroma and the brain’s reaction to it has been shown to have a direct effect on involuntary muscle action, including the heart and smooth muscle action. In addition, reaction to odors has been shown to impact people’s perception of their own health and mood. Research suggests aromatherapy may be beneficial in the treatment of anxiety and other psychological ailments.1
APPLICATION OF ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils can be administered using a variety of methods, including indirect inhalation achieved through the use of a diffuser (a container in which water and essential oils are mixed and formed into steam using electric power), inhalation via the use of an individual inhaler, and/or via aromatherapy massage where the essential oil is applied in conjunction with a carrier oil. Essential oils can also be added in the bath, by mixing directly in the water or in bath salts.1
USE OF ESSENTIAL OIL AROMATHERAPY TO ENHANCE SPORTS PERFORMANCE
A 2010 article printed in the British Journal of Sports and Medicinepoints out that abundant scientific studies have been conducted, all demonstrating that pure essential oils derived from plants have “synergistic effects on body and mind energy facilitating excellence in sports and fitness.”2In addition, essential oils have been found to be useful in sports medicine for their proven “antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, antidepressant and even expectorant properties.”2
The authors of the BJSMarticle correctly note that due to the natural versatility of essential oils and all they offer in terms of physical and mental wellness, interest in utilizing them as a means of “toning up the body and mind in a variety of ways, viz. muscle preparation, musculoskeletal, injury prevention, as sports medicine and an agent for uplifting sports psychology for achieving highest success rate in sports and fitness” continues to increase.2
Exercise recovery is always at the forefront of the minds of trainers and athletes alike. Essential oils have become particularly popular among professional athletes as they have been shown to be beneficial in assisting post-exercise recovery. They lessen recovery time by increasing mental and physical energy levels and decreasing the impact of fatigue on the body and mind.2
RUNNERS, ESSENTIAL OILS, AND INCREASED LUNG FUNCTION
Hurdlers and track athletes in general may take particular interest in this study that focused on two essential oils, Citrus sinensis flower and Mentha spicata leaves, and the effect the use of these oils had on the participants’ athletic performance and their lung function capacity. This study involved twenty volunteer participants, all of which were male P.E. students. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of ten each, one group receiving Mentha spicata, the other being given Citrus sinensis. The oils were administered via nebulizers (inhalation). Each participant was given a lung function test via spirometer before and after being administered the assigned essential oil inhalation, having run the same distance. Both groups showed improved lung function post-administration of the essential oils.3Researchers observed “a significant increase in Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second and Forced Vital Capacity after inhalation for both oils.”3It was also noted that the mean running times for both groups declined significantly after they were given the essential oils.
Conclusion
Medical research has consistently found that essential oils are beneficial for the mind and body, a synergistic approach that has also proven to be vital for success in sports. In addition to the proven positive impact essential oils can have on cognition, mood, and as an agent for relieving depression and anxiety, they are also natural analgesics, antiseptics, and muscle relaxants. Research also suggests these oils can provide recovery and lung function benefits. If you haven’t tried essential oils, consult with your coach or trainer about doing so.
References
1.PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board. Aromatherapy with Essential Oils (PDQ®) Health Professional Version. (2019, Jan. 8).
2.Sharma, P., & Meena, T.R. Aromatherapy for Sports and Fitness.
3.Jaradat, N.A. et al. (2016, Sept. 22). The Effect of Inhalation of Citrus Sinensis Flowers and Mentha Spicata Leave Essential Oils on Lung Function and Exercise Performance: A Quasi-experimental Uncontrolled Before-and-after Study.
