I tried the 'French woman sleep hack' — here's why I'm adding it to my bedtime routine
Days spent exploring various arrondissements, strolling the Champs-Élysées and late-night dining alongside the Seine left me wishing I could emulate Parisian-style elegance in my everyday life, à la Andréa Martel (Camille Cottin) from the Netflix show Call My Agent!.
And while I generally sleep well, when I came across the hack French women employ to improve their sleep, obviously I wanted to see if it had any impact on my slumber.
"The "French woman" sleep hack refers to the idea of applying a light fragrance –usually something calming – before bed as part of a nighttime ritual," says clinical psychologist and sleep expert, Dr. Leah Kaylor.
It's often passed down as a family tradition, Dior fragrance expert Esperanza Pintado, told Glamour.
In truth, I wasn't entirely convinced that wearing perfume to bed would have any significant impact beyond making me feel more glamorous in my pajamas. But "voyons", I thought (after entering "let's see" into Google translate)...
For the past few years I've been wearing Diptyque's 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain eau de toilette, which is a combination of amber, patchouli, rose, cinnamon and blackcurrant buds.
Diptyque is a French brand that originated in Paris; my fragrance is even named after their first boutique in the city. Parfait, non? However, since this sleep hack typically involves wearing a different scent at night (French makeup artist Violette told Into The Gloss that while she wears another scent in the daytime, she specifically wears a musk scent at night), I had to find another bedtime option.
My fragrance collection is currently pretty limited so I opted for one of my boyfriend's fragrances, Orphéon, also by Diptyque (I admit I suggested he try the brand). Still French, and it contains jasmine (as well as juniper berry, tonka bean and cedar), which research has shown can help reduce nighttime awakenings (more on that below).
My nighttime routine generally includes a warm shower 30 minutes to an hour before I want to sleep. I assumed this would also be helpful for this sleep hack, since I would be a blank slate fragrance-wise.
Historically my application of fragrance has been lavish and haphazard, but I have been trying to rein it in of late, and now I only spray on pulse points on my wrists, neck and behind my ears. I was pleased to discover that this is similar to the way the French apply perfume (though they also spritz the back of the knees!).
For this experiment, I sprayed my partner's fragrance on those spots, and added a spritz to my pajama t-shirt. I'm pretty sure he uses his scents fairly sparingly, and this comparatively liberal application must have been a shock to him, because he then asked for it back, laughing that I was being 'cheeky" (though for the record, he later admitted he couldn't smell it on me as we lay next to each other).
Freshly doused, the first thing I noticed was that his scent smelled slightly different on me, a little lighter, and I liked it just as much. There are smoky, woody and floral notes from the jasmine, and the overall effect was surprisingly pleasant and calming.
I had been feeling unusually anxious during the day, and was concerned that wearing a fragrance would be distracting; that I'd focus on it and it would exacerbate the anxiety and delay sleep onset.
Instead, I found the scent really soothing. Maybe it's because I love wearing fragrance and associate it with happiness, but I genuinely felt noticeably more at ease than I had earlier in the evening.
And, while I didn't fall asleep any quicker than I normally do, the night I slept with fragrance I did notice that I wasn't feeling unsettled (as I sometimes do) that I was still awake even though my partner had dropped off instantly (as he almost always does).
Since giving up alcohol over four years ago, I tend to wake once at most during the course of the night, unless I'm feeling particularly stressed or anxious at bedtime. The night I tried the French woman sleep hack, I stirred awake on one occasion, and dropped back off quickly, waking again when my alarm sounded in the morning.
Given that I had been feeling anxious during the day, I had expected a more interrupted night's sleep, so it's possible that the calming effect I experienced from the fragrance helped prevent further disruptions.
I don't use a sleep tracker, so it's difficult to know if this hack improved my sleep itself. But, wearing a fragrance did have a positive, relaxing effect on me before I dropped off, and I didn't wake any more than usual, despite feeling more stressed than I typically do during the preceding day.
"Wearing a calming scent to bed can help trigger relaxation and signal the brain that it's time to wind down," Dr. Kaylor explains.
While CEO and chief perfumer at Demeter Fragrance, Mark Crames, says he isn't familiar with using fragrance specifically for sleep, he does, "know many European women who wear fragrance to bed."
Wearing a calming scent to bed can help trigger relaxation
And, as well as being popular, using a scent at night to improve sleep is also research-backed.
A study published in the journal Sleep in 2024, saw 30 sensitive sleepers spend four nights in a sleep laboratory, after a "baseline" night with no scent, participants had "randomized exposure" to "a placebo rose scent, a high-dose of jasmine scent, or a low-dose relative to essential oils" on their T-shirts.
The results? "Comparisons to baseline revealed a significant improvement in both sleep quality and total sleep time when using scents. Notably, both high and low doses of jasmine demonstrated a reduction in wake after sleep onset," the researchers wrote.
Dr. Kaylor adds that, "Scents like lavender and chamomile have been studied for their calming effects on the nervous system."
Another study looking at the effects of aromatherapy essential oils blended with lavender, roman chamomile, and neroli on ICU patients, found that it "effectively reduced the anxiety levels and increased the sleep quality."
Discussing how fragrance can impact sleep, Crames says, "At Demeter, we believe that the way you feel is affected by what you smell, or more succinctly, that you can change your emotions or mood with scent. So if you believe that lavender has [an]... influence and you smell lavender, it will help you sleep."
Although he notes that aromatherapists "believe that process only works if you're using natural lavender, the essential oil that contains all the micro chemicals," he says that "we think it's much more related to memory than a physical reaction."
Dr. Kaylor also notes that scents can have a psychological impact.
"Smell is a powerful sense tied to memory and emotion, so a consistent scent at bedtime may also build a psychological association with rest and relaxation," she says.
It's also worth noting that, among his many attributes, my partner is a very calming influence on my life, so while I only wore it for one night, applying his fragrance may have contributed to my feelings of relaxation.
When it comes to picking your nighttime fragrance, Dr. Kaylor advises, "Look for scents that have been shown to support relaxation and reduce anxiety, such as lavender, sandalwood, chamomile, neroli, and ylang-ylang."
But don't worry if none of those appeal to you, because picking a perfume that works for you is equally important.
"Any scent that is relaxing to you personally is ideal. Look for a soft scent — it doesn't need to be strong," she adds.
Cramer believes the effect of fragrance on sleep is "more related to memory than a physical response." Therefore he suggests that "whatever smells typically make you the most relaxed will help you fall asleep."
"For many people, that will be lavender in some form," he says, adding, "For me, it's always about an individual reaction to a fragrance."
If you're anything like me, more is more when it comes to fragrance. I love a rich, deep, warm scent (the patchouli and amber notes in my daytime fragrance speak to that) and I know that I probably apply more heavily than most.
But using an overpowering amount of fragrance, or picking a scent that is too strong, isn't ideal for applying at night.
"Avoid anything you find overpowering as it may actually interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep," Dr. Kaylor says, adding that you should avoid overly stimulating or intense scents.
My experience of using the French woman's sleep hack was that it integrated well with my established nighttime routine, which includes avoiding sugar or heavy meals in the evening, my warm shower, reducing the light in the bedroom and turning on a fan and opening our balcony door to circulate cooler air in the hour before sleep.
Dr. Kaylor agrees that the hack will be more effective if you use it alongside other bedtime cues.
"Dim your lights an hour before bed, turn off screens, keep your room cool and quiet, and try breathing exercises or light stretching," she says.
"You could also pair the fragrance with a sound cue, like calming music, or with a nighttime tea ritual. Together, these behaviors create a multisensory signal that tells your brain it's time to rest."
Certain scents have been proven to have a positive impact on sleep, as the above studies indicate.
And while I can't say that I noticed a major difference in my sleep onset or quality, I did find it calming before bedtime.
And, there's a possibility that this relaxing effect helped avoid a more disrupted sleep, given that I had been feeling anxious during the day, and anxiety can lead to more nighttime awakenings.
As well making me feel more serene, the French habit of wearing a fragrance to bed also felt like an act of self-care — treating myself to the indulgence of wearing perfume for sleep.
So, once I've found a nighttime scent of my own (since I'm not sure I can get away with 'borrowing' my partner's fragrance much longer), I've decided I will be adding it to my before-bed routine.
I'm keen to see the longer term effects, but if you're considering trying it too, it's important to note, as Dr. Kaylor does, that this hack is not going to be for everyone.
"Anyone with asthma, allergies, migraines, or chemical sensitivities should be cautious with fragrances, especially in the bedroom," she explains.
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