Peppermint oil may be your secret weapon for better workoutsand sharper thinking, show the results of a study from Wheeling JesuitUniversity. A group of competitive athletes were able to run faster, do morepush-ups and squeeze a hand grip harder when they had peppermint-infusedadhesive strips under their noses. Researchers suggest sniffing the scentduring games and workout sessions may give all athletes, evennon-professionals, extra drive. Most of the effect we saw was probablypsychological, but it resulted in a measurable improvement in performance, saysstudy author Bryan Raudenbush.
Breathing in the stimulating aroma of peppermint may alsohelp prevent brain fog, according to Raudenbush. He found that participantsexposed to an invigorating peppermint scent improved their recognition memory,working memory and scores on tasks related to attention, compared to thoseexposed to jasmine or no odour.