Essential Oils To Promote Good Sleep

Earlier this week I discussed some solutions for sleep issues, in particular some lifestyle factors to consider, such as not watching the news right before bed and unplugging your electronic devices in your room; as well as a herbal supplement that I have had great results with. Today I wanted to share how you can use essential oils to promote good sleep, rest, and regeneration.

There are many oils that have a relaxing effect on body and mind, and they can be used a couple of different ways. I tend to find that people who have trouble falling asleep prefer using oils on the soles of their feet, people who have trouble staying asleep prefer diffusing them so that they get an ongoing exposure to them during the night. People who have both might like to use them both ways! I recommend a diffuser that has a setting for 8 hours for overnight use, otherwise if it shuts off after one hour or four hours you might find yourself losing the benefit. Another option is to add a couple of drops of essential oils to a bath along with a cup of epsom salts just before bed.

The Simple Approach

For those who like to keep things simple, lavender is probably the best known and most often used. There are studies that back up its usefulness in promoting rest and good sleep. Lavender can be applied to the soles of the feet, added to a bath, or diffused by the bed to help you switch off.

The Ready-To-Go Blend

If I were to choose one ready-to-go blend for sleep, it would be the Calming Blend, which contains Lavender Flower, Sweet Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Hawaiian Sandalwood essential oils and Vanilla Bean Absolute. This blend can be used any of the ways listed above.

The DIY Blend

For those who like to make their own blends, here is one that I have found to be most effective. You don’t necessarily need to include all of these oils, but I have made a roller bottle including all of them before and it worked like a charm. I have listed them in the order that I would add them; for example if you were going to add three oils I’d choose lavender, vetiver and cedarwood. Here are my favorites:-

• Lavender – 15 drops
• Vetiver – 10 drops
• Cedarwood – 5 drops
• Ylang Ylang – 5 drops
• Marjoram – 5 drops

Put all the drops into a 10mL roller bottle and top off with fractionated coconut oil. Roll on the soles of your feet before bed.

Essential oils are wonderful for relaxation and for helping us get into the parasympathetic nervous system state that we need to shut down and rest well at night. From a simple single oil to a more elaborate blend, essential oils are great things to incorporate into your night time regimen.