What are Smelling Salts?
Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants, consist of concentrated ammonia or ammonia compounds. Some of these ammonia products also contain perfume or essential oils. Because of their high ammonia content, these salts typically have a strong smell. This smell is sharp and unpleasant, similar to the odour of some cleaning products you might use at home. Smelling salts were traditionally used to prevent people from fainting or to revive someone who had fainted.
Do Smelling Salts Really Work?
People have been using smelling salts since the 13th century to help when someone feels dizzy or lightheaded. Putting smelling slats under your nose causes a strong smell to enter your nostrils, leading to irritation. This leads to a reflex that makes you take deep breaths to clear your nose, even if you’ve fainted.
As the increased oxygen reaches your brain, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in, triggering a ‘fight or flight’ response that releases the hormone adrenaline throughout your body. This helps revive you if you’ve fainted and might provide a temporary boost in alertness.
Although smelling salts can be effective in increasing alertness in unconscious people, there is no evidence of their effectiveness in increasing energy or preventing fatigue. Similarly smelling salts have not been proven to be effective in the treatment of anxiety as well. Moreover, smelling salts can also have side effects like skin and eye irritation, and their prolonged use has been linked to severe lung damage as well. Additionally, the other long-term effects of using smelling salts for anxiety relief are not well-researched
How To Treat Anxiety Without Smelling Salts?
Anxiety is a complex condition with multiple underlying causes; thus, relying on untested methods like smelling salts may not work in addressing its root causes, which can even be harmful in the long run. However, there are other well-researched methods that one can use to cope with anxiety. They are:
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Aromatherapy
While smelling salts might not be effective for anxiety, smelling something pleasant can indeed help soothe an anxious mind. If you are someone who likes exploring pleasant fragrances, you might want to consider giving aromatherapy a shot. Aromatherapy relies on essential oils to promote physical and psychological well-being, Aromatherapy can be used to manage pain and improve sleep, and research has also demonstrated its positive effects on stress and anxiety.
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Self-Care
Self-care practices like exercise, deep breathing, positive visualization, proper sleep, and a healthy diet have all been proven to be effective in the treatment of anxiety.
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Long Term Methods
Long-term methods for treating anxiety include challenging anxiety-provoking thoughts, identifying triggers for anxiety, and coming up with effective trigger management strategies. Reaching out to a therapist can be effective as well.
Conclusion:
There is no evidence to suggest that smelling salts helps with anxiety; moreover, it can have side effects that can only be harmful in the long run. Anxiety is a complicated condition with multiple underlying causes; thus, it is advisable to rely on proven and researched strategies for its treatment.
References:
- Are Smelling Salts Bad for You? (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2024, from https://www.poison.org/articles/are-smelling-salts-bad-for-you
- Barati, F., Nasiri, A., Akbari, N., & Sharifzadeh, G. (2016). The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients. Nephro-Urology Monthly, 8(5), e38347. https://doi.org/10.5812/numonthly.38347
- Cho, M.-Y., Min, E. S., Hur, M.-H., & Lee, M. S. (2013). Effects of Aromatherapy on the Anxiety, Vital Signs, and Sleep Quality of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients in Intensive Care Units. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2013, 381381. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/381381
- Davis, S. (n.d.). Are Smelling Salts Safe? WebMD. Retrieved January 11, 2024, from https://www.webmd.com/brain/are-smelling-salts-safe
- What Is Aromatherapy and How Does It Help Me? (2018, May 15). Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-aromatherapy
