The Best Essential Oils For Gamers

By Mark Piatt

Updated on June 21, 2022

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I love video games.  For those of us who play video games, we are always looking for that little something that gives us an edge.  Let us discuss the best essential oils for gamers.

Do essential oils provide me with any advantage while playing video games?

Essential oils can provide a gamer with a variety of benefits including reduction of anxiety and stress, increased concentration, increased memory, and a peaceful mindset.  At the very least, essential oils make your gaming room smell nice.

Through trial and error, I believe I have found several essential oils that help me while gaming.  I want to share with you what I have discovered, and maybe, next time you are involved in Player versus Player (PVP) combat or Player versus Environment (PVE) combat, you will have that ever-so-slight advantage to beat the competition.

My Gaming Credentials

I started gaming in 1980 when my parents bought my brother and me an Atari 2600 gaming console.
In 1983, they got me my first computer – a Tandy Color Computer II (COCO II).

This beast of a computer ran at .89 MHz and had 16K of memory.

The gaming scene has changed a bit since those early days of pixelated images. Currently, I own a variety of gaming consoles and a gaming Computer. My current PC has a:

• Ryzen 7 3700x processor
• 32 Gigs Corsair RAM
• AMD MSI 6600XT graphic card
• a bunch of storage.

I also own the following peripherals:

• HP Reverb G2 VR headset (First time I actually got the chills playing a video game – very immersive) 
• Thrustmaster T300 wheel and pedal set
• Next Level Racing GT Lite cockpit (I fold it up and place it on the side of my desk when not in use.  Money well spent.)  
• Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle (modded)
• VKB Gladiator NXT EVO Joystick
• J-PEIN desk mount for joystick and throttle
• Buttkicker II Playseat edition (Wow, what a level of immersion this adds)

I love open-world games, RPGs, MMORPGs, racing sims, flight sims, FPS – you name it, I enjoy playing them. I wish I could play more than I get to, but that is a different story.

Now that we have established that I am a real gamer, let us get serious.

Why Use Essential Oils When Playing Video Games

If you are reading this, I assume you know a bit about the benefits of aromatherapy and essential oils. Aromatherapy for gamers is a terrific combination for a variety of reasons.

First of all, there is the aroma of essential oils. Scientific studies have shown that smell can alter our emotions and mood. As an example, when you walk into a flower shop and the fragrance of fresh roses or geraniums hits you. Like magic, you feel refreshed, and your mood instantly changes.

If you have ever played video games, you know your mood can affect your game.

Besides being a good air freshener, the actual chemical makeup of essential oils can affect your mood. Some studies have even shown that many of the compounds found in essential oils can affect our nervous system, alter our emotions and enhance our well-being.

In one study, researchers found that within 20 seconds of inhaling essential oils, their effects can be felt in the body.  This is the best and safest way to enjoy your essential oils.

And if you are like me, while gaming, you get animated, flustered, stressed, angry, depressed, etc. 

Maybe you could use some help to relax so that you don’t mess up near the finish line after driving 500 laps, or you could use some assistance to get past that darn orc.

Since many essential oils are known for altering your emotions, why not give essential oils a try.

Aromatherapy is the most popular way of using essential oils.  For this article, we will only be discussing using essential oils with a diffuser. 

Let us take a closer look at some essential oils that may be beneficial while gaming and why.

DISCLAIMER:

Information provided in this description is for educational purposes only.  For possible treatments of physical or mental diseases, please seek a trained and licensed health professional.  Enchanted Aromatics is not responsible for any adverse side effects resulting from the use of any suggestions, products, preparations, or procedures mentioned or from following historical uses of essential oils.

5 Best Essential Oils To Use While Gaming

Lavender Essential Oil

Depending on the person or the game you are playing, you may, or may not find gaming relaxing. 

For example, millions of people find playing Minecraft relaxing to play. 

Building a kingdom, terraforming your world, or exploring that deep cave can be relaxing for many people. 

But what if you find yourself cruising around deep underground after finding the motherload of diamonds but have not set a spawn point for the last 2 hours.  Suddenly, out of the blue, a mob of Creepers shows up and blows you up.  Now your relaxing game has exploded into anxiety-causing chaos.

But you have a secret weapon.

Sitting on your desk is your favorite diffuser dispersing relaxing molecules of lavender into the atmosphere, thus, keeping you relaxed in the most stressful situations.

Lavender has a variety of abilities that can be useful for us gamers.

Lavender is renowned for its capacity to reduce anxiety levels by creating a relaxing environment.

And as we all know, a successful gamer requires a relaxing environment.

Numerous studies have focused on the ability of lavender to reduce anxiety.  One study found that lavender has comparable results on anxiety as the anti-anxiety medication known as lorazepam. 

Some gamers not only suffer from anxiety while playing a video game but there have also been several studies that indicate that playing video games can cause anxiety in their daily lives. 

In some cases, the anxiety caused by video games can become severe.  A study found that mental health workers who treat gaming addicts have found that 92% of their patients suffer from anxiety.

The active compound responsible for lavender’s anti-anxiety capabilities is known as linalool.  Linalool is a monoterpene commonly found in over 200 essential oils.  But in lavender essential oil, linalool makes up between 25% – 40% of the compounds.    

Another benefit of linalool is it can reduce aggressive behavior.

Besides being able to reduce your anxiety and aggressive behavior, I like the fragrance of lavender essential oil. 

There are hundreds of different species of lavender.  The one with the best aroma is known as Lavandula angustifolia.  This Lavender from Plant Therapy has a delicate, floral aroma with a slightly woodsy, perhaps smoky fragrance.  

Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon essential oil is the best essential oil to use for people who have problems concentrating and focusing.  It could work especially well in a high-stressed game such as Warthunder.

Imagine, while in VR, you find yourself in a nosedive trying to take out that German Pz. Kpfw Ausf. M tank. You need all the concentration you can muster to fly your American SB2C-4 Helldiver to its target without getting taken out by a nearby anti-air German Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind.

Lemon essential oil could give you that slight edge to pull it off.  The invigorating power of lemon can increase alertness and boost cognitive functions. 

This essential oil can regulate serotonin and dopamine in the brain.  These hormones can regulate your stress levels, which in turn, can increase your concentration.

limonene is the terpene that is responsible for the increase in serotonin and dopamine. This chemical makes up between 30% to 76% of lemon essential oil.  This compound can also be found in pine needles and various citrus fruit rinds.  It is what makes lemons smell like lemons.  

Benefits of limonene include: 

I have used this Lemon essential oil from NOW, and I can tell you that it has a nice refreshing aroma.

Rosemary Essential Oil

Many video games require an excellent memory.

I enjoy playing Elite Dangerous using a joystick / HOTAS combination.  (HOTAS is an acronym for hands-on throttle-and-stick).  Between the PC keyboard bindings, Joystick / HOTAS bindings, and voice commands (if you use Voice Attack), there are hundreds of commands to learn in this game.

Or if you play an MMORPG such as Black Desert Online, you know the complexities of learning all the in-game mechanics.  Mastering all the intricacies of this game requires a great deal of memorization.

Perhaps a cognitive enhancer could augment your gameplay as the following research appears to demonstrate:    

• Research has shown that Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) can provide a statistically significant boost in memory speed.  This boost may be all you need to provide you with that slight edge you are looking for.
• In another study, when exposed to the aroma of rosemary essential oil, the speed and accuracy of the participant’s tests were increased.  
• In yet another study, children exposed to the aroma of rosemary scored higher in their memory tests compared to students who had not been exposed to the essential oil.   

The mechanism in rosemary that enhances memory is not well understood.  Scientists believe it may have to do with the antioxidant properties found in a compound known as 1,8-Cineole.  About 20% of rosemary essential oil is made up of this compound.

This Rosemary from Plant Therapy smells like evergreens with a touch of citrus, eucalyptus, and maybe a little spearmint.   

Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint essential oil can increase your concentration, imagination, and creativity.  When you find yourself in an intellectually demanding game, peppermint essential oil is a good oil to use.   At the same time, peppermint is well-known for reducing anxiety and stress levels.

Peppermint essential oil can also provide relaxing effects while assisting you to combat fatigue.

All these abilities of peppermint essential oil are exactly what a gamer could use.  Peppermint essential oil will benefit you when you are playing a slow game of solitaire or when you are tearing up the sky in DCS while taking out a column of tanks in your A-10C II Tank Killer.  

If you find you are unable to use VR because you suffer from vertigo and get dizzy easily, peppermint has long been used to combat these conditions.  Perhaps diffusing peppermint essential oil or drinking peppermint tea will allow you to enjoy the benefits of VR.  

One of the main compounds in peppermint that provide all these benefits is Menthol.  Menthol makes up between 19% – 54% of peppermint, depending on the species.  Because of the numerous benefits found in menthol, it is used in many industries. 

Peppermint has a cool refreshing aroma that has a very characteristic minty fragrance.  You just need to take a few deep breaths of peppermint and you will feel so relaxed.  

One thing to keep in mind is that menthol is not just naturally occurring, but it can also be synthesized in a lab.  Synthetic menthol does not have the same health benefits that naturally occurring menthol has.  Also, be aware that different batches of peppermint can have different variations of smells.  

When selecting a peppermint essential oil, be sure the peppermint is peppermint superior (Mentha piperita).  This is the species that most dinner mints and peppermint candy are made from.  

Not all peppermints from different companies smell the same and believe me, I have tried many.  I really enjoyed this Peppermint from Gya Labs.  It had that peppermint candy smell.

Warning –  all essential oils are toxic if consumed in enough quantity, but peppermint essential oil is especially toxic.  A single teaspoon of pure peppermint essential oil can kill an adult.   

Citrus Essential Oil

I chose citrus essential oil because let’s face it; when we are cramped up in our gaming room with all that adrenalin pumping through our veins, testosterone pulsing at its max (for us guys), or estrogen is on overdrive (ladies), our gaming rooms can get a bit funky.

The world over, citrus is one of the best purifying fragrances you can get.  Plus, citrus-scented products can make you feel more peaceful and the fragrance can put you in a positive mindset.

Citrus is a killer essential oil for purifying the air around you.  As part of the citrus family, you could use citrus, sweet orange, lemon, mandarin, bergamot, and lime.  All these essential oils are excellent at purifying the air.  

As an added benefit, these essential oils are capable of killing some airborne bacteria and fungi because of their high concentrations of limonene.

Since there are so many types of citrus essential oils, you may be interested in getting a set that includes a variety of citrus essential oils such as this Citrus Essential Oil Kit that includes Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime, Mandarin, tangerine, and sweet orange.

Other Essential Oils For Gamers

All of us respond to aromas differently. Use the essential oil that makes you feel good.

Some other good examples include cinnamon, pine, eucalyptus, cedarwood, ylang ylang, tea tree, and clove, to name a few.

Do not stop with individual essential oils.   You can blend multiple essential oils to receive the benefits of each essential oil.

What Type Of Essential Oil Diffuser Should A Gamer Use?

I am not going to practice what I preach.  I suggest you use an all-plastic diffuser.  In my gaming room, I use a glass diffuser because I am stubborn, and I like my diffuser.

Why an all-plastic diffuser?  I can become quite animated when I am gaming, especially if I am in VR.  My arms are swinging around all over and I am facing every direction in the room – without knowing exactly where I am in the room.  

If you are like me, then a glass diffuser is probably not the best choice.  If you are interested, we have a nice selection of glass, plastic, and wood diffusers you might want to check out CLICK ME.

Another suggestion I have is a personal diffuser.  Here are a few examples.

Handheld Personal Diffuser

• USB powered
• 60-second continuous operation
• Easy to use

 

Wood Grain Portable Diffuser

• USB powered
• Does not use water
• Apply two drops of essential oil and turn on

I own a product similar to the first item that is small enough to fit in a pocket and works really nice.

I Add about an ounce of water and around five drops of essential oil.

Turning on the unit for about a minute is all it usually takes to fill the room with the essential oil fragrance.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that all essential oils provide a variety of benefits. You may find an essential oil that works better for your needs.

After a while, you may no longer smell the essential oil because your brain has become accustomed to the aroma, even though you are receiving the effects of the essential oil.

Remember, not everyone may enjoy the aroma of your essential oils. Before using your essential oils, check with those around you to confirm they are ok with the particular essential oil you are using.

Most of all, have fun gaming and enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy.