Peppermint

In case you didn’t know, peppermint is actually a cross between a spearmint and water mint plant. According to a study conducted in 1991, inhaling peppermint essential oil is helpful when it comes to sustained attention tasks, those that “require observers to remain alert and to detect infrequent and unpredictable stimulus events over prolonged periods of time.” A good example of this would be ifyou worked in quality control—you would need to be on your A game and focusing for long periods of time. (Although let’s be honest: Many of our careers require us to be thinking on our feet most of the time.)

Of note: Peppermint does not seem to have the same effect when it’s ingested (like in peppermint tea).