Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

Having bad dreams lately? Try putting some roses in your room before you go to sleep. A study presented at a medical conference in Chicago last month suggests that what you smell as you sleep influences your dreams.

Researchers studied the effects of rose and rotten-egg odors on 15 healthy women in their 20s (young women have been shown to have the best sense of smell). The rotten-egg odor prompted emotionally unpleasant dreams. The rose scent led to more emotionally pleasing dreams. No details on the dreams, unfortunately.

“If odor has a strong effect on your emotions when you’re awake, it makes sense for it to have a strong effect on your emotions when you’re asleep,” the lead researcher said.

If you’re plagued by upsetting dreams, it can’t hurt to give the positive-smell approach a try. And let this serve as a warning to all of you who store eggs in your bedroom: You could be setting yourself up for bad dreams (among other problems)!