As well as ensuring you are able to face the day ahead, without falling asleep at your desk or being easily agitated, a good nights sleep is important for long term health and wellbeing.
If you are someone who struggles to sleep then perhaps essential oils could help you achieve your goal.
Essential oils are natural, therapeutic-grade plant extracts that can help you relax and fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed and energized. They're also great for helping you deal with stress and anxiety, which can make it hard to get quality rest.
But how do you know which essential oils are suitable for you? We've got your back! Below are some of our favorites for helping you get the most out of your night's sleep.
Lavender essential oil has long been used for its relaxing and sedating properties, which can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Lavender essential oil is derived from the flowers of lavender plants. It has a milder sweet floral scent than most other essential oils, so it might be better suited for those who don't like the heavy aromas of different essential oils. You can use it in massage therapy, aromatherapy, or other cosmetic products.
How it help to improve sleep?
The relaxing effect of lavender essential oil is due to its ability to reduce stress by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and emotions. As a result, lavender essential oil enables you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer by reducing anxiety and promoting restful sleep.
A 2016 study published in 'Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine' found that inhaled lavender essential oil improved, self-reported sleep quality among patients with chronic insomnia who didn't respond well to conventional therapies like sleeping pills or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The researchers concluded that "lavender essential oil may be useful" for treating insomnia without drugs, although more research is needed before it can be recommended as a clinical treatment method.
Valerian essential oil is extracted from the roots of the Valeriana officinalis plant. The essential oil has a relaxing and calming effect, making it a useful treatment for insomnia, anxiety, and stress.
Valerian is often used as a natural remedy for insomnia in combination with other herbs such as hops and passion flower. It can also be taken alone or as part of a sleep formula.
How it help to improve sleep?
Valerian is a sedative herb that works by increasing the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in your brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it slows down brain activity and makes you feel calm and relaxed. Valerian also acts on serotonin receptors in the brain, which increases levels of this neurotransmitter and helps you relax even more.
Chamomile essential oil is a sweet-smelling essential oil that has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other sleep disorders. It is extracted from the flowers of the chamomile plant, which is native to Europe and Asia.
The essential oil has a pleasant aroma that can help induce sleep by relaxing your body and mind. It also contains compounds known as terpenes, which are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve muscle pain and stiffness.
How it help to improve sleep?
Chamomile essential oil relaxes the central nervous system and induces sleep by promoting serotonin production in areas of the brain involved with mood regulation. This hormone helps regulate sleep cycles by keeping you calm and relaxed before bedtime.
It also contains a compound called apigenin that prevents high histamine levels from being released into your bloodstream after eating certain foods or drinking alcohol. High histamine levels can cause an allergic reaction that leads to difficulty falling asleep due to inflammation in your nasal passages or throat.
Frankincense essential oil is one of the most popular essential oils for relaxation. It can promote sleep, calm nerves, and reduce anxiety.
Frankincense essential oil is extracted from the resin of a small tree native to North Africa and the Middle East. For thousands of years, many cultures have used the frankincense tree as a sacred incense.
Frankincense is known as one of the oldest oils in existence because it was used in ancient Egyptian rituals and revered by early Christians as an aid to meditation.
How it help to improve sleep?
The scent of frankincense essential oil is known to promote feelings of tranquility and relaxation because it stimulates the limbic system in the brain. This area controls emotions, memory, and behavior, so stimulating it can help you feel calmer and more relaxed.
Frankincense essential oil may also promote sleep by increasing serotonin levels in your brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate moods.
Bergamot essential oil is a popular aromatherapy ingredient for its pleasant smell and relaxing properties. The scent of bergamot is floral, with a citrusy undertone perfect for calming down before bedtime.
How it help to improve sleep?
Bergamot essential oil has relaxing effects on the body and mind to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It's especially effective if you're having trouble sleeping due to stress, anxiety, or nervousness.
It promotes deep relaxation by stimulating GABA production (gamma-aminobutyric acid), one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain. GABA helps regulate nerve cell activity in the brain and nervous system, reducing anxiety and stress levels while promoting relaxation and sleepiness.
Bergamot essential oil also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce pain caused by conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other musculoskeletal disorders, which may also contribute to insomnia or poor-quality sleep in some people.
How to use essential oils to induce sleep
Essential oils can be used in many ways to help induce sleep:
- Aromatic baths: Add five drops of lavender essential oil or chamomile essential oil to your bath water, or pour ten drops into a diffuser and place it in the room where your sleep.
- Inhalation: Place a few drops of your preferred essential oil to a tissue and place it inside your pillowcase or linens before going to bed. You could always use our Sleep Essential Oil Blend, to save you time!
- Roller Ball: Tray rolling a little of our Sleep Roller Ball onto the temples and wrists.
- Massage: Mix 2-3 drops of essential oil with two tablespoons of carrier oil (such as coconut oil or almond oil) and massage into your neck, shoulders, and feet before bedtime. Alternatively you could buy a pre-blended massage oil, like our Relaxing Massage Oil.
Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into choosing the right essential oil for your needs. But please keep in mind that there are numerous other oils out there that could work just as effectively. If lavender essential oil isn't your thing, then try frankincense essential oil, or another - there are plenty of options out there for a relaxing night's sleep.
Creating the right environment for sleep
To increase the likelihood of success with using essential oils for sleep, there are a number of ways you can help yourself create the right environment for mental rest and sleep. Many of these are obvious, but some may be new to you. Take a look at the following illustration of 'Do's and Don'ts for sleep.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/essential-oils-for-sleep
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/essential-oils-for-sleep
https://www.oils4life.co.uk/post/5-essential-oils-for-a-good-night-s-sleep
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