When you are looking for ways to improve your athletic performance, whether you stick to working out at home or enjoy competitive activities, one of the suggestions you may have come across is to use essential oils. But it can be tough to determine if you should even try essential oils, as the debate surrounding essential oils is so heated on both sides.
We here at ProForm Coupon are not here to tell to use or not use essential oils, but we have gathered scientific studies around essential oils and have advice on how to implement their use if you want to try to include them in your routine.
Studies On Essential Oils And Athletic Performance
That’s right, there have been studies done on the effects of a few different essential oils on the athletic performance of athletes.
In a study from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN), the effects of ingested peppermint were examined. During the study, 12 young men consumed 0.05 ml of peppermint which was in a 500 ml bottle of water. Their blood pressure, forced vital capacity, peak inspiratory flow, heart rate, and peak expiratory flow rate were all measured to see if they were affected by the peppermint.
After 10 days of taking in the peppermint essential oil, the forced vital capacity, peak inspiratory flow, and peak expiratory flow rate significantly improved. Which, in layman’s terms, the participants breathing quality improve and they were able to work out harder and longer before becoming exhausted, as the peppermint potentially relaxed the bronchial muscles to increase oxygen concentration in the body.
Another study in the JISSN looked at the essential oils from the Citrus sinensis flower (sweet orange) and Mentha spicata leaves (spearmint). A group of 20 participants were split into two groups to test the different essential oils. Using a nebulizer to disperse the oil, both groups underwent 1500m running tests to test how their lungs functioned under stress.
Both oils increased the respiratory effectiveness of the participants, and since they could intake more oxygen, the participants also enjoyed improved athletic performances. In a study on rats’ performance, the essential oils using cloves, peppermint, sweet orange, and rosemary were shown to help relieve exercise-induced fatigue.
How You Can Utilize Essential Oils To Assist Your Workouts
If you are interested in testing these essential oils or others to help you improve your athletic performance, here are some ways you can utilize them.
- Using 5-10 drops will generally be effective.
- Most should not be ingested, but peppermint can be safely ingested when diluted with water.
- Place drops in a diffuser and breath in 10-15 minutes before a workout.
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