Surprising Health Benefits of Burning Candles at Home

A lit candle in any corner of a room can make a place look pretty and smell heavenly. But did you know there are also several health benefits to burning candles at home?  

From relieving stress to boosting sleep and memory, your candle not only signals your singular style but can improve your wellness too.

Candle Health Benefit #1: Stress Reliever

The smell of scented candles can play a significant role in alleviating the physiological effects of stress and worry.

When we inhale an aroma through our nose it cruises directly to our limbic system, which is the region of our brain related to emotion and memory. Sniffing a particularly pleasing scent can stimulate this area to release so-called “happy hormones” such as serotonin and dopamine, which then helps to ease our minds and regulate our moods.

In a small studypublished in Phytotherapy Research, the spicy, citrus smell of Bergamot was shown to improve positive feelings in folk exposed to the odour while sitting in the waiting room of a mental health treatment centre.

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Other essential oils and candle fragrances are also known to help alleviate anxiety and bring on the feel-goods. 

For example, Jasmine, one of the gorgeous aromas in our Brontë Bedtime candle, is often used as an anti-depressantdue to its mood-boosting and energy-elevating properties.

Candle Health Benefit #2: Sleep Supplier

If candle scents help decrease stress and promote rest it follows that many will be effective aids to sleep.

The lovely lavender and rose are two naturally rest-inducing scents. Jasmine, ylang-ylang and sweet marjoram are also favourites fragrances used to infuse bedrooms for better sleep.

Tuberose, the other tantalising fragrance in Enya’s Attic’sBrontë Bedtime candle, is a further scent regularly used to spur on restful shut-eye. A sultry and elegant aroma, it triggers neurotransmitters in the brain such as melatonin, putting those exposed to its aroma on a fast track to slumberland.

Candle Health Benefit #3: Memory Enhancer

Because scents stimulate the limbic system, they have a direct relationship with the hippocampus, which is situated there.

And this is relevant because..? 

Well, though small in size, the hippocampus has a major role to play in memory retention and learning.

This is one of the reasons why certain smells trigger recollections of particular times in our life or people and places that we know.

For instance, the first warm days of spring always remind me of childhood school holidays, while the whiff of perfume at department store counters at Christmas-time is - for me - forever associated with my mom!

But it’s not just the fact that candle scents can encourage sweet personal memories – they can enhance learning too.

In recent research, students who studied while taking in the smell of roses and then slept near the odour, found it easier to recall information during exams at a later date than those who didn’t! (Still, I’m not sure “lack of rose scents” could be used as an excuse for some of my poor performances in school all those years ago!!)

Candle Health Benefit #4: Energy Booster

And, finally, along with perking up the memory, the scents often found in candles can be used to boost our energy levels too.

After months of continuous lock-downs, some of us might be feeling like we have the energy of a slug!

If that’s the case, infusing your home with some citrus-scented candles is just the ticket. Zestful lemon and lime aromas are sharp, fresh and clean-smelling and will not only boost energy and concentration but help cleanse your air too.

In Japan, one innovative company keen to keep productivity among workers high piped lemony scents into the air in some of their departments. Studying the effects over a month, they claim that keypunchers who inhaled the piquant aroma made 54 per cent fewer errors than those in other offices breathing in plain air.

So, there you have it! Whether you’re looking for an energy-boosting pick-me-up or need a scent to help you unwind and rest, candles might be the best go-to remedy – All that’s required of you is to light them up and sit back and enjoy!

If you’d like an aromatic candle for your home, check out our environmentally-friendly Tuberose and Jasmine scented candles here.