Why Smelling Salts Are the Cure for Election Day Anxiety (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you use smelling salts every day? ›

Overuse of smelling salts may lead to damage to your nasal passages. The sharp fumes from the ammonia may burn the membranes in your nostrils, but this would require frequent and heavy use of smelling salts.

Today, some professional athletes believe smelling salts can improve performance. Smelling salts are inhaled stimulants that increase breathing and blood flow to the brain. Despite their history of use, there is limited research into the effects of smelling salts.

Smelling salts are used to arouse consciousness because the release of ammonia (NH₃) gas that accompanies their use irritates the membranes of the nose and lungs, and thereby triggers an inhalation reflex. This reflex alters the pattern of breathing, resulting in improved respiratory flow rates and possibly alertness.

The bottom line

Smelling salts have been used for centuries to revive people who have fainted. Athletes also use them for a quick energy or focus boost, but there's no evidence that they actually enhance performance. While smelling salts are generally safe, it's important to use them only as directed.

How Long Do the Stimulating Effects of Smelling Salts Last? The effects of smelling salts vary in duration, but they are generally short-lived, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. The half-life of adrenaline is about 2 minutes, and the overall effects last about 3-4 minutes.

When inhaled, the chemicals in smelling salts cause nose and throat irritation as well as temporary increases in heart rate. While smelling salts are generally safe when used as directed, prolonged inhalation may result in permanent lung damage or death.

However, because smelling salts irritate the nostrils and lungs, you likely shouldn't use them every time you lift or practice your sport. Just use them every now and then when you're going for a big PR, or have a high-stakes game on the line.

A lot of NFL players use smelling salts to help them become more alert. Some NFL players say that they sniff smelling salts before every game to get them hyped up to play. One player that has admitted to using smelling salts before every game is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Someone who has passed out or fainted can be revived using smelling salts. When breathed in, the mixture of ammonia and salt in them can help a person wake up by stimulating their nervous system.

Alternatives to smelling salts are also being made which are free from ammonia and contain simple solutions of Epsom salts, sea salt and a chosen essential oil.

Do smelling salts give you energy? ›

Inhaling smelling salts can help stimulate the senses, providing a burst of energy and improved focus. Smelling salts can help you breathe better and send more oxygenated blood to your brain, making you feel more awake and alert.

Historically, smelling salts have been used on people feeling faint, or who have fainted. They are usually administered by others but may be self-administered. Smelling salts are often used on athletes (particularly boxers) who have been dazed or knocked unconscious to restore consciousness and mental alertness.

If you've passed out, the increased respiration caused by smelling salts can help you quickly regain consciousness. But most people use smelling salts to increase alertness and focus. Many athletes feel that this cognitive boost also temporarily increases their strength.

Most high school and professional athletic associations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency and National Collegiate Athletic Association allow the use of smelling salts. However, smelling salts are banned in boxing.

Smelling salts have been reviving people for hundreds of years, but it doesn't have to be those crazy ones that will seriously wake you out of a coma. Put a bottle of a pleasant-smelling essential oil like orange, grapefruit, or mint next to your bed to sniff in order to shake yourself out of a groggy state.

The ammonia gas causes irritation in your nasal passage which triggers the fight or flight response and subsequent adrenaline release. The extra adrenaline that smelling salts / ammonia inhalants provide allow us to unlock a physical performance we are capable of, but unable to tap into without it.

Smelling salts provide a powerful rush of adrenaline that allows you to push your performance to the absolute max and regain focus. The half life of adrenaline is about 2 minutes, the total effects are noticeable for about 3-4 minutes.

Today, smelling salts are still widely used in the NHL, the NFL, and powerlifting and strongman competitions. They cause a quick burst of adrenaline which athletes believe helps them perform better despite the fact that science suggests the effects of smelling salts are extremely brief.

Sniffing ammonia before a heavy lift and during competition is a widely accepted ritual among powerlifters and other athletes.

Ammonia Sport Raw can be used in the gym, field or any professional disciplines. It's strongest smelling salt, gives instant sensation.

What is the history of smelling salts? ›

The use of smelling salts dates back to the Roman Empire, but they became popular during the Victorian era. They were used to help revive women who were fainting. Syncope or fainting is a loss of consciousness as a result of a slowed heart rate triggered by a vagal reflex.

They're affordable, and they are not banned by the major pro sports leagues, the NCAA or high school athletic associations. All of that could lead you to think that smelling salts are perfectly safe, but that's not necessarily the case.

The term 'pink pills' in the NFL is just a coded way of saying Toradol, a legal painkiller that many NFL players use and a few abuse. Pink pills have been around for ages, and help Gridiron players numb the pain from harsh tackles and off-the-cuff movements.

While boxing no longer allows the use of smelling salts, there is no such prohibition in the major American sports leagues like the NHL, NFL, and MLB, where its use has been commonplace for years.

RAW SMELLING SALTS: Raw salt is very strong! We advise you to hold the bottle 6 inches away from your nose when in use. Just add water, shake and sniff!

Mackenzies Smelling Salts offer a traditional remedy for symptomatic relief of congested nose and throat and head colds. This is a Pharmacy Medicine item. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire, which will be checked by a pharmacist to ensure it is suitable for you.

Smelling salts are a centuries-old folk remedy for fainting. Going back to the 13^th century at least, ammonia — the active ingredient in smelling salts — has been a key component of the doctor's medicine bag.

Smelling salts are simply ammonium carbonate. The compound stinks of ammonia and is a respiratory irritant used to stimulate consciousness to get away from the stink.

Sweating. Sweating in the groin area can attract fungus and bacteria that can lead to a bad smell. Showering after exercise or athletic activity can help reduce the bad-smelling effects of smells related to sweating. Putting on clean, dry clothes after a sweat session can also help.

What can I take for brain fog? ›

L-theanine may reduce brain fog symptoms such as memory problems and delayed reaction time when taken as a supplement. It may also help reduce stress and improve sleep, which may relieve brain fog symptoms.

Brain fog is the term used to describe the effects on the brain and nervous system that can occur with long COVID. Brain fog can last for weeks, months or longer after a person recovers from COVID-19 illness. It can linger when other symptoms have stopped.

Smelling salts are used by business men and woman, students and long distance truck drivers and travelers as a wakefulness agent and energy booster.

However, because smelling salts irritate the nostrils and lungs, you likely shouldn't use them every time you lift or practice your sport. Just use them every now and then when you're going for a big PR, or have a high-stakes game on the line.

Smelling Salts Side Effects

The following are a few potential negative effects of smelling salts: Irritation and burning in the throat and nose. Breathing difficulties, wheezing, and coughing. Headache, nausea, and vomiting.

You might consider it if you're attempting a one rep max, but don't make a habit of using smelling salts during your regular workouts. While they can deliver an almost instantaneous strength-performance boost, they can also reduce fine motor skills.

It is the brand name, nasal inhaler version of naloxone. It works dramatically, like smelling salts. Or it used to, with most opioids, until fentanyl came along. Now instead of one or two doses, it can take five or six to bring someone around.

Alternatives to smelling salts are also being made which are free from ammonia and contain simple solutions of Epsom salts, sea salt and a chosen essential oil.

Try smelling salts

Smelling salts have been reviving people for hundreds of years, but you don't have to smell something distasteful. Put a bottle of a pleasant-smelling essential oil like orange, grapefruit, or mint next to your bed to sniff in order to shake yourself out of a groggy state.

Ammonia Inhalants Prescribing Information

Disclaimer: This drug has not been found by FDA to be safe and effective, and this labeling has not been approved by FDA. For further information about unapproved drugs, click here.

Are smelling salts still used in medicine? ›

There is not much deep scientific research into how smelling salts work, because they're no longer really used medically. But from what we can tell, all it does is cause the breathing reflex. Increased breathing may help with alertness, but if you're awake, you can breathe deeply on your own.

Smelling salts have been used for centuries to keep people alert. They were once prominent in funeral homes and at blood donation drives. Athletes inhale them from the sidelines in hopes of improving their performance. Rocky famously takes a whiff of a smelling salt to get back in the ring and keep up the fight.