The Best Essential Oils for sleep
The best Essential Oils for Sleep is a long list. In this article, I have narrowed it down to my top 5 and added a few tried and tested sleep methods to help you develop the best sleep routine for any lifestyle.
A good night's sleep is essential to our overall health and well-being. Studies have found that certain essential oils can help improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and help reduce feelings of anxiety or overwhelm. As someone who occasionally suffers from sleep-deprived anxiety (3 am fears anyone?), I recommend these essential oils because I have tried them. I firmly believe they have helped improve my sleep, and through my journey, I have found some interesting methods you probably haven't heard of before.
I've noticed that when you become “used” to a scent and can't smell it anymore, it helps to change it with other scents and effective methods. Don't just try one way, but most importantly enjoy them all & live your best life.
Which essential oils are best for a good night's sleep?Essential Oils for sleep
Essential oils have been used for many sleep problems including anxiety for thousands of years and continue to work. We are attached to the sense of smell; it's important to us. When things smell bad, they signal danger.
When the air smells pleasing and lovely, we feel relaxed or excited, sometimes even happy. There is a deep connection there that one should not ignore.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil is the most famous oil known and used for sleep and anxiety reduction. But did you know that this gorgeous-smelling plant that helps to reduce anxiety and pain is best when you ingest it? To help you sleep better, try making a tincture by adding a dessert spoon of flowers to a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes before drinking (3 times a day between meals).
This method, coupled with a few drops of Lavender EO (mixed with a carrier oil if pure) in a bath before bed, should also help.
Roman Chamomile
Ingesting this calming plant through a tea, powder, or tincture is still the best way to tackle many health issues associated with anxiety, such as insomnia, migraines or menopausal symptoms.
Did you know that chamomile oil used cleverly in your bath can also help with external issues such as eczema or skin irritation, as it can reduce inflammation? There are three main types of Chamomile: English, Roman and German, and they all have similar properties. Equal to Lavender, the oil is distilled from the entire plant.
Be careful that you are not one of the few allergic to chamomile, as this could have an adverse effect!
Marjoram
Marjoram is amazing. It has a soothing effect, and there is no question that it will help you sleep. As with most anxiety-related Essential Oils, it,'s best ingested.
So, along with my previous recommendations, you can have it as tea or seep the flower heads in hot water for 10 minutes before drinking. Or if you have the EO, a few drops on a sugar cube will help. It's particularly fantastic when you have a head cold. Pop some in your Diffuser for this, or before you go to bed, mix some of the flower heads in with bath salts and soak and breathe.
Thyme
Thyme is another great plant. It looks fantastic in your garden, tastes great in most foods, and aids sleep. But women, beware, don't overdo it, as it can change your period cycle. Like many other herbal plants, its range of benefits to the human race is enormous. Sore throat? Chew Thyme. Bad digestion? Drink honey water infused with Thyme. It's good for gout, hair loss, and influenza. The list goes on.
It is easy enough to make a tasty soup, but a few drops on a sugar cube before bed also won't hurt.
Basil
There are roughly 150 different types of Basil. The EO is made from the heads of flowers or the distillation of the stems. It can help ease a wasp sting or ease mental exhaustion and taste fantastic. Eating it is the best way to get its full effects.
Eat it or drink it as an infusion with a bit of honey before bed.
Methods
For years when I woke up at ridiculous o'clock, I would just read a book and eventually, at 5 am, I would drop back to sleep. Reading a book was very ineffective, so when I had my babies and sleep became even more precious, I realised I had to try different methods to get that holy grail of a good night's rest.
1 – The Military Method
The first method I use in conjunction with essential oils, and I think everyone with sleep issues should try it. This method helps soldiers get that much-needed rest on the battlefield, and hey, if it works for them, it has to work for me, right? It does.
It took a few weeks of practising, and then I would fall asleep so fast that it annoyed my husband!
After you have picked your essential oil method outlined below and are lying comfortably, close your eyes, imagine yourself wrapped in a warm hammock, and breathe deeply. Tense every muscle in your face, then relax. Do that three times.
Finally, say to yourself, “Blank Mind” over and over and over again. Don't let any other words enter. Creating Imagery is essential, so make sure you put yourself in a happy place. If Blank Mind doesn't work, another thing is “I wonder what my next thought will be?” weirdly, this can also quiet the mind.
I hope it works for you as it has worked for me.
2 – Use an Air Diffuser or Oil Burner
An Air Diffuser, Humidifier or Aromatherapy Diffuser puts essential oil into the air around you, usually via a fine mist. We recently used ours with Pure Lemon Essential Oil, which also helps to clear up a head cold.
Oil Burners are also effective, but they need a candle or heat to burn. So not great around small kids. But I love the ambience of a candle, which can be calming.
3 – Massage Some into Your Forehead, temples & Feet
I will never recommend putting PURE Essential Oil directly onto the skin as it is concentrated and can cause severe irritation.
Mix it into a base oil like Sweet Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil, or even mix it with your favourite lotion. Massage into your temples or the base of your feet. On the feet, the pores are more prominent, so they absorb more of the EO, and sometimes a foot rub feels fabulous, even if you can't get someone else to do it.
4 – Mix with Epsom Salt for a Soak
Add several drops of essential oil with a cup of Epsom salt into a bath before bed. The Epsom salts draw out toxins from the skin and, when used with essential oils that you love, can leave your skin feeling amazing.
5 – Spray Some on Your Pillow
You need to fill a small spritzer with distilled water, a few drops of your favourite oil and a little vodka – not too much. The vodka is to help the oil to spread more evenly in the water (it breaks it up on a molecular level). I've been doing this method for years, especially when I have a cold. My pillow usually smells like Eucalyptus or Lavender.
I genuinely hope these methods and essential oils help you as they have helped me. Sleep is so vital for our general skincare and overall well-being. Try everything, don't give up. Keep those cortisol levels low!
