Imagine you are about to hit your personal record on a barbell squat exercise. You are standing over the bar with your hands covered in chalk and you are ready to conquer the challenge. All of a sudden, your hands start to sweat and you feel like you’re going to crack under pressure. So, you pull out your secret weapon: smelling salts. You take a quick whiff and you immediately feel a rush to your head, washing away all of the uncertainty of the lift, and now you are laser-focused. Thanks to the smelling salts, you pick up the barbell and complete the repetition with ease.
Smelling salts have become very popular in the sports and fitness industry (Velasquez 2011). They are commonly used by a range of different athletes, regardless of the intensity of their sport or their body mass (McCrory 2022). Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants (AI), are classified as any chemical compound that has the active ingredient of ammonium carbonate, (NH4)2CO3. They are combined with a scent or perfume to help make the strong odour more subtle and tolerable. When the AI is not sealed and becomes exposed to the air and moisture around it, a decomposition reaction will occur (Equation 1) (McCrory 2022). The decomposition of ammonium reacting with air/moisture yields ammonium gas, NH3, which is what is inhaled when sniffing the salt.
Equation 1: The decomposition reaction of Ammonium Carbonate when exposed to air and moisture. Ammonia gas (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O) is produced. The ammonia gas is responsible for the strong smell that smelling salts produce.
Upon inhalation, the ammonia gas irritates the mucous membranes in the nasal passage, triggering chemoreceptors that send a signal to the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for transmitting sensory signals between the face and the brain (Bender and Popkin 2024). The trigeminal nerve has three branches that allow it to perform its function: the ophthalmic branch, maxillary branch, and mandibular branch (Huff, Weisbrod, and Daly 2024). These three branches work in unison to relay nasal stimulation that travels to the brainstem and reaches the medulla oblongata. The medulla oblongata plays a critical role in various autonomic functions in the body (Loeschcke 1973). This response simultaneously activates the olfactory nerves, which are the nerves responsible for your sense of smell. This stimulation also sends signals to the respiratory and vasomotor centres in the medulla oblongata (Loeschcke 1973). Since the medulla oblongata is the connection between your spinal cord and brainstem, the medulla triggers the sympathetic nervous system, causing a rise in heart rate and other cardiovascular respiratory functions that will enhance alertness and oxygen intake (Egger 2022).
The enhanced oxygen intake allows smelling salts to be used in medical cases where people experience low consciousness or fainting-related symptoms (Egger 2022). Although rarely used in clinical settings, smelling salts would benefit patients with low consciousness by stimulating the cerebrovascular vasodilatory effects that are associated with that AI (Bender and Popkin 2024). This effect combined with the respiratory alertness, will elevate oxygen levels and therefore could possibly elevate consciousness levels (Perry, Pritchard, and Barnes 2016).
In the future, smelling salts could potentially be used beyond the use of sports and emergency medicine. Professionals like surgeons and pilots who need sharp focus during their jobs may consider the use of the AI. With further research into their effects on alertness and cognition, smelling salts could soon become a game-changer in our society!
References:
Bender, Joshua M., and Charles A. Popkin. 2024. “Ammonia Inhalants: Use, Misuse, and Role in Sports Performance.” Sports Health 16 (5): 706–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231217341.
Egger, Christine. 2022. “The Autonomic Nervous System.” In Manual of Equine Anesthesia and Analgesia, 110–18. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119631316.ch7.
Huff, Trevor, Luke J. Weisbrod, and Daniel T. Daly. 2024. “Neuroanatomy, Cranial Nerve 5 (Trigeminal).” In StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482283/.
Loeschcke, H. H. 1973. “Respiratory Chemosensitivity in the Medulla Oblongata.” Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis 33 (1): 97–112.
McCrory, Paul. 2022. “Smelling Salts | British Journal of Sports Medicine.” October 2022. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/8/659.
Perry, Blake G., Hayden J. Pritchard, and Matthew J. Barnes. 2016. “Cerebrovascular, Cardiovascular and Strength Responses to Acute Ammonia Inhalation.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 116 (3): 583–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3313-7.
Velasquez, James R. 2011. “The Use of Ammonia Inhalants Among Athletes.” Strength & Conditioning Journal 33 (2): 33. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181fd5c9b.
Comments
23 Responses to “One Whiff and You’re Awake!”
Hey iSci! I chose to write my blog post about this topic because the several athletes I see using smelling salts. While researching, I was fascinated with how the chemical concepts involved in smelling salts are integrated with various biological processes in our body. Feel free to provide feedback!
Arjun
Hi Arjun,
Really great blog post, it is always interesting to learn the science behind how different chemicals are used.
A few small comments:
– I really enjoyed the first paragraph but I think you could adjust some of the wording to be a little more formal for scientific writing. For example, I would change “So, you pull out your secret weapon: smelling salts.” to something more like “You pull out smelling salts (ammonia inhalants) and are able to finish the set.”
– Remember to unlink your citations in the reference list.
– I believe your equation and caption should be centred and I would recommend adding a figure to your post if you can find one.
Overall really great work!
– Ben
Hello Ben,
Thanks for the feedback! I totally forgot that I needed to centre my figure caption and equation, so thank you for that. I also do believe that the citations should have a hyperlink on them. Thanks for taking time to read my post!
Arjun
Hi Arjun
Great post. Those salts are smelly.
A few suggestions
– “complete the repetition with ease!” Not to ruin the fun, but I don’t think you need the exclamation point here.
– ” regardless of the intensity of their sport or the body mass of the athlete” I don’t think you need “of the athlete” here
– in your figure caption, I don’t think you need to specify your products, as they are evident in the equation. Just skip to saying that ammonium gas is produced, which is responsible for the strong smell.
Good luck,
Diego
Hello Diego,
Thanks for taking time to read and give feedback on my blog. I added your first two suggestions in my blog post and it sounds better now. I specified the name of the products just for those who aren’t too familiar with chemistry.
Thank you Diego!
Arjun
Hi Arjun,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! The introduction was very captivating and well written. I loved how you provided a scenario that readers could relate to! I have a few suggestion for you to consider:
– In your second paragraph, you provide a very clear explanation of the mechanisms behind smelling salts, but I only understood exactly what they were near the end of your blog. I think including a short sentence in your second paragraph with a ‘definition’, before your explanation, will help avoid any uncertainty.
– In your third paragraph, you say that “the medulla oblongata plays a critical role in various autonomic functions in the body.” It might be a good idea to mention exactly what the medulla oblongata is in this sentence rather than later on in your paragraph, as you do. This small change will help bring clarity sooner to the reader!
– Changing your first sentence in your second last paragraph to “The enhanced oxygen intake allows smelling salts to be used in medical cases” by removing “the use of” will help to improve flow and maximize your word count.
Overall, I think that you have a really strong post. I can’t wait to read the final version!
Happy editing,
Chloe
Hello Chloe,
Thanks for reading my post! For your first comment, I did want to include a true ‘definition’ on smelling salts, however, after conducting more research, I realized that its “definition” lies in how the chemistry of the salt works. I will add on to the more basic chemistry section of the post. I also changed my first sentence in the second last paragraph to what you suggested.
Thank you,
Arjun
Hello Arjun,
Your post was super interesting! I loved section about potential medical applications. I have a few suggestions:
– Ensure your figure caption is centers
– If word count allows, it could be helpful to talk a bit about any negatives to the use/continuous use of smelling salts
– In your citations, you have Bender et al. 2024a, but you don’t have another Bender et al. 2024 citation, so this “a” is not necessary
Overall, great job. Good luck with editing!
-Gabriele
Hey Gaby,
Thanks for taking time to comment on my post! I centred my figure, so thank you for the reminder. Unfortunately, I would love to talk about the negatives, but there aren’t too many reliable sources that discuss this (as it is a fairly new researched product). Although there are a few negatives I could discuss, I would likely surpass my word count. Also, good catch on the citation. Thank you!
Arjun
Hi Arjun,
Before reading your blog post, I had heard about smelling salts, but you explained them and their impact on the body very well!
Just some things I came across while reading through included:
– In the first sentence of the first paragraph, you could remove the word “exercise,” as “barbell squat” is already a clear description.
– Consider breaking up the third sentence in the second paragraph to improve readability.
– In the last sentence of the second paragraph, you could remove the word “being.”
– In the Equation 1 caption, take out “An” in the second sentence.
Happy editing!
Dhara
Hello Dhara,
Thanks for commenting on my post! I took out the word “An” and I also took out the word “being”. I left in “excercise” in the opening paragraph just because I wanted to emphasize the situation that smelling salts are used for. Thanks for taking time to read my post.
Arjun
Hi Arjun,
Great blog post! I never really understood how smelling salts worked, or if they even did! You did a great job clearly explaining different concepts. Here is my feedback:
1) I suggest adding a figure to help with the understanding of your third paragraph. A schematic would be helpful to visualize how AI affect the body.
2) Consider reformatting your caption for Equation 1. It should be centred and it should be the same colour as the rest of your text.
3) You mention that the medulla oblongata is the connection between the spinal cord and brainstem near the end of your third paragraph. I suggest adding this a bit higher up when you start talking about it to keep the reader engaged and on track.
Overall, great work! I’m looking forward to reading your final draft.
– Vamika
Hello Vamika,
Thanks for commenting on my blog post! I do agree that I need another figure, however, the schematics that I found in my research didn’t seem appropriate for my post. I will continue to look though. I reformatted equation 1 as well. Thanks for the comments!
Arjun
Hi Arjun!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post as I’ve never really understood what smelling salts were (chemically) and was very intrigued to learn a bit about it!
A few comments to help you edit your post:
– Make sure your entire figure caption for equation 1 is italicized!!
– in P3S5, you write “Simultaneously, this response activates the olfactory nerves, which is the nerve responsible for your sense of smell.” I suggest switching out “which is the nerve…” to “which are the nerves…” to match “this response activates the olfactory nerves,…”.
Overall this was a really interesting blog post and I can’t wait to read the final product!
Masha
Hello Masha,
Thanks for the comment. I fixed the error in p3s5, good catch! I also italicized and centred my figure. Thanks for taking time to read the post!
Hi Arjun!
This was such an interesting blog post, I love that I got to learn so much about this funky stimulant and I appreciate how in-depth your explanation of the pathway of the ammonium gas through the human body was! Here are just a few suggestions, if you agree:
– Replace “has” with “have” in P1Q2, “Smelling salts has become very popular in the sports and fitness industry.”
– This is simply a style suggestion but I think referencing your figure/equation at the start of the sentence in P2 “When the AI is not sealed and becomes exposed to the air and moisture around it, a decomposition reaction will occur (equation 1) (McCrory 2022)” would help improve the flow of it by removing the double parentheses. For example, you could say “As demonstrated with equation 1, when the AI is not sealed and becomes exposed to the air and moisture around it, a decomposition reaction will occur (McCrory 2022).
– Make sure to centre your figure captions
– As suggested by others, perhaps you could talk about the negative impacts of smelling salts as well if your word count permits it as it would add depth to your blog post and help readers understand the intensity of the body’s reaction to smelling salts.
Other than that, this was a very well-written post and I look forward to reading your final product!
Happy editing!
Anica
Hello Anica,
Thanks for the feedback! I took you suggestion of changing the “has” into “have” and the tenses match now. I also centred my figure caption. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many reliable sources that the negatives of AI, (as it is a fairly new researched product). Although there are a few negatives I could discuss, I would likely surpass my word count. Thanks for reading my post!
Arjun
Hey Arjun,
this was Ana AMAZING blog post! I really enjoyed reading this because I actually watched a video earlier this week explaining smelling salts in fitness and testing if it’s a fact or a myth.
But, here are a few suggestions to improve your writing:
1) Try staying consistent with the wording. So for example, after defining smelling salts as AI, use AI for the rest of the biog post.
2) Defining what vasomotors are would make it easier for readers with an unfamiliar background to understand.
3) In the conclusion, consider talking about future applications.
Aside from that,
great work!
Muhammed Gangat
Hello Muhammed,
Thanks for reading my blog post. I added in the future applications and I tried to stay more consistent with my wording-so thank you!
Arjun
Hi Arjun,
This was a really interesting topic! I;ve always wondered how smelling salts actually work! I’ve listed some suggestions below to help improve your blog post!
1. In this sentence “Smelling salts has become very popular in the sports and fitness industry (Velasquez 2011).” I think you should replace has with have since smelling salts is plural
2. I think you should remove the word “being” in this sentence “The decomposition of ammonium reacting with air/moisture yields ammonium gas, NH3, which is what is being inhaled when sniffing the salt.” and say this “which is what is inhaled when sniffing the salt” to improve the flow
3. In paragraph 3 you mention the sympathetic nervous system near the end. I think it would help the reader better understand why triggering would help increase alertness.
Overall, great work and happy editing!
Ananya
Hello Ananya,
Thanks for commenting on my post. I changed the wording to “have”, as per your suggestion. I also removed the word “being” (your second suggestion), so good catch! Unfortunately, word count is a little bit tight so I can’t expand too much on it. However, I tried to integrate why it would help increase alertness earlier in the text. Thank you!
Hi Arjun,
Thank you for sharing this blog post, it was super interesting and the title was really eye-catching! Just a couple of suggestions, if you agree:
– “Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants (AI), are classified as any chemical compound that has the active ingredient of ammonium carbonate, (NH4)2CO3, and is combined with a scent or perfume to help make the strong odour more subtle and tolerable” This sentence was a bit run-on. Maybe it would be better to reword it to form two separate sentences? For example, “Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants (AI), are classified as any chemical compound that has the active ingredient of ammonium carbonate, (NH4)2CO3. They are combined with a scent or perfume to help make the strong odour more subtle and tolerable.”
– “Simultaneously, this response activates the olfactory nerves, which is the nerve responsible for your sense of smell” In this sentence, perhaps you could consider rewording it to avoid using “nerve” twice and make it clearer to the reader. For example, “This response simultaneously activates the olfactory nerves, which are responsible for your sense of smell.”
Other than that, great blog post, and I also really enjoyed reading your introduction/hook!
Janaya
Hello Janaya,
Thanks for commenting on my post. You’re correct about that run on sentence. So, I broke it up with a period. I also changed the strucure of the other sentence in your second suggestion. Although I don’t take out the word “nerve”, I changed the placement of “simultaneously”.
Thank you!