Smoke Odors Rarely Wake Sleepers

You may not wake during a nighttime house fire because the human brain does not reliably respond to odors during sleep, even when the smell is strong. A 1997 study from Irondale Fire and Rescue Service exposed 10 sleeping adults to a smoke-like odor, but only two woke up, while none woke up to a strong citrus smell. Brown University researchers later tested six sleeping adults with peppermint and the noxious chemical pyridine and again found that odors rarely roused them, especially during deep sleep. Audible tones proved far more effective.

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