Sleep Myth Monday: Scents to Wake You Up

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re true.

Myth or Truth: Of our six senses, the one that is most active while we sleep is the sense of smell.

MYTH

According to a 2004 study, our sense of smell is essentially turned off when we sleep. One of the researchers said, “”Human olfaction appears insufficiently sensitive and reliable to act as a sentinel system.” So, if you think the smell of cooking breakfast or coffee is what woke you up this morning … it’s more likely you were on your way to waking up before you even noticed the smell.

To read more about the interesting study on smells and sleep, click here.