Are you suffering from sleepless nights? Do you toss and turn on the bed all night long? Well, then essential oils can be of real help to you! You can use these oils as aromatherapy to treat your sleeping disorders rather than consuming any sleeping medication. This blog will tell you how to use essential oils for sleep and give yourself the ultimate relaxation.
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What Are Essential Oils?
We get essential oils from plant extracts. But they are extracted in such a way that the plant properties remain present in the oil. All these essential oils may be present at one or many parts of the chosen plant. It can be the seeds, buds, roots, twigs, leaves, stems, or flowers.
You will find the entire extraction process done so that all the botanical constituents are actively present in the liquid form. These constituents are then made soluble in the extract. The essential oil extracts are more beneficial than the plant itself. These extracts have minerals, flavonoids, phenols, and alkaloids present in them. You can get these directly the time you start using essential oils for sleep. Also, the essential oils are used for these contents, many more treatments.
How to use Essential Oils for Sleep?
You can use essential oils in many ways to get the maximum of its benefits. But here we have gone ahead and made a list you can choose from. Go through the list below and select which is the best way for you to use essential oils for sleep:
- You can go ahead a start rubbing drops of your preferred essential oil on the delicate body parts. Some of the best places to rub essential oils for sleep are your feet, forehead, neck, chest, wrist, or hands. But you must mix the essential oil in your preferred carrier oil. A few carrier oils you could use are sweet almond, olive, coconut, or grapeseed oil. The surface of your skin is extremely sensitive. And you need to dilute the essential oil before applying it. Else it might irritate due to the pure properties it possesses.
- You can also get some candles with the aroma of essential oil present in it. They can give you a soothing smell that can help you have a sound sleep. The candles you need to buy are light aromatherapy candles.
- Use the essential oils for sleep diffuser if you don’t get any aromatherapy candles available. These diffusers help your room get the fragrance that’ll help you to sleep peacefully.
- You can also try out rubbing some drops of any essential oil you like to your palms and hands. Then put your hand together and smell your hands before sleeping.
- You can even use a spray bottle, add some of your favorite essential oils, and mix them in water. Just before you sleep, spray up the room and your pillow to give the essence you were longing.
- Suppose you love having a hot tub shower before you sleep. Add some Epsom salt and add in some essential oils. This bath will give you the ultimate relaxation before going off to sleep.
- Another way to use essential oils for sleep and congestion is inhaling in the steam of hot water with some drops of essential oils. It is a great remedy to relieve congestion. If you want to let the steam stay a little longer, then use a towel to cover your head. It will not let the steam go out.
Top 10 Best Essential Oils for Sleep
The benefits of essential oils are immense and vast. And one major benefit it has is the process it puts you to a soundless sleep. If you suffer from any sleeping disorders, then essential oils must be your go-to option. It has an immense soothing effect that will help you tackle any of your sleeping problems. You can use essential oils for sleep apnea or snoring by inhaling it. This helps in releasing blockage in your nasal cavity, thus minimizing snoring.
Here are 10 best essential oils for sleep what effects it has on you:
Lavender Essential Oil
The lavender is a beautiful flower with a lovely color, look, and, most importantly, an aroma. It is filled with all the relaxing effects and proven as one of the best essential oils to induce sleep. Some researches have seen a slowing in heart rate and an increase in slow-wave sleeping. It can also relax your muscles, further giving you a sound sleep to get up fresh the next morning.
Chamomile Essential Oil
One of the most important essential oils for sleep apnea and insomnia is chamomile oil. It can help you get rid of any anxiety or depression you may have. But you think that its goodness was discovered recently? Well, no! It is a very primitive medicine used by ancient people to deal with any stress problems. Moreover, it can also reduce any depression or related problems. The first thing that affects when you have anxiety is sleep. So, next time you think you are having the slightest stress problem, keep some chamomile essential oil handy!
Sweet Marjoram Essential Oil
If you want to calm yourself and remove any stress, then the sweet marjoram oil is what you need. It has an immense capability to calm your brain down and give you an incomparable calming relaxation. You can use this oil in the diffuser or any light aromatherapy candle to calm yourself and gift yourself the best sleep. Having a good sleep at night is essential to carry out the work you do the next day. If you do not sleep well, you’ll get up feeling tired. So, use this essential oil to have a soundless sleep!
Bergamot Essential Oil
Many citrus-fruit essential oils are stimulating and don’t calm you. But the bergamot essential oil is unlike most other. It has a lot of calming properties that can make you relaxed and composed. Some researches have proven that this essential oil can lower blood pressure levels and heart rate. All these factors are very important to get good sleep. So, the physiological changes the essential oil makes can give you a lovely sleep, unlike many other citrus fruit oils. But keep in mind that this essential oil can be photosensitive. So, you must not topically apply this oil just before you step out into the sun.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
If you have any depression and you think of popping in pills. Give the clary sage oil a try. It has a very good antidepressant effect that can put you to sleep easily. You will find this essential oil to have a natural sedative effect on anyone who uses it. That happens because studies show that it can reduce the level of the hormone cortisol. This is a hormone that is mainly related to any stress you may get. So, this oil is extremely good for reducing stress and putting you into a relaxing sleep.
Valerian Essential Oil
The valerian essential oil contains valerenic acid present in it. This acid can breakdown GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that has the ability to induce sleep. Just like many other anti-depressing tablets or anti-anxiety medicines, this too has the ability to put you to a sound sleep. Rather than opting for any medicines, you must use natural remedies to get sleep. And the essential oils can do exactly that!
Sandalwood Essential Oil
You already know that sandalwood has a calming aroma and can do wonders for your skin. But do you that the earthy aroma can relieve you too? It has a woody smell that is earthy and very effective on anxiety and stress. Moreover, numerous studies show great effects in calming your stressed-out nerves and letting you sleep peacefully.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
If you don’t know how the Ylang Ylang essential oil is found, we’ll tell you all about it. It is actually a fruit that is found in the Canaga trees. They have their origins in Indonesia, and the essential oil is extracted from that fruit. It also has an immensely beautiful aroma and can calm your muscles and help you relax. If you also want to alleviate the stress you are having, start applying the ylang ylang essential oil.
Jasmine Essential Oil
The jasmine flower needs no new introduction; it has an outlandish aroma that can make anyone smelling it go mesmerized. But do you want to know more? Well, you already know that essential oils are naturally made from the botanical constituents. All these constituents contain a molecular composition. This molecular mechanism is also found in numerous medicines that are given for sleep. So, it is evident that the jasmine essential oil can tackle sleeplessness.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil has numerous other benefits. But the most prominent one is its anti-inflammatory properties. So, you can use this oil for sleep apnea or even any other snoring problems. It can clear the nasal air passage, which can help you get a good night’s sleep.
Risks Factors of Using Essential Oils
You can use essential oils for sleep and other anxiety problems you have. But it would help if you kept a few things in mind while using them. Always remember to read what the label tells you, or else you might aggravate other problems too.
It would help if you were absolutely sure the best place to rub essential oils for sleep. That is because it can permeate into your epidermis and get into your blood. So, you need to ensure using this in small amounts to check if you are allergic to it or not. You can always start from your wrist area and check how it works for the next 24 hours. Essential oils should be avoided for babies and children who are less than 5 years of age.
How does Essential Oils Help You in Sleep?
All these essential oils have a fragrance that is very calming and relaxing. The olfactory nerves can sense the smell, which sends the signal to your brain. All of these give you a pleasure that can relax your muscles and nerves. If your body is tensed and your muscles are contracted, you cannot sleep! So, your body needs to prepare itself to before sleeping.
Essential oils are taken from the botanical constituents, which contain a molecular mechanism. All of the essential oils mentioned above contain the molecular mechanism that is present in many sleeping pills. So, it is evident that these oils help you induce a night of restful sleep. But you must remember that all oils adapt to each person differently. That is also known as adaptogens. So, each essential oil can affect each person differently, as one oil can be calming for one person, whereas the same oil can be stimulating for another.
For instance, essential oils like the lavender and jasmine have calming effects, but your body might get rejuvenated instead. On the other hand, the lemongrass is a stimulating essential oil that can help some people. So, you must be sure about which of the essential oils suit your body the best. Select a few and try it on yourself, see how the body reacts, and then you can settle for the best.
You can use the best essential oil that suits your body and use it as an aromatherapy to induce sleep. Try unwinding yourself and calm your body with all the beautiful fragrances and give yourself a restful sleep.
Final Thoughts
As we bring you to the end of our blog today, we hope that it helps you induce sleep in the best way. Popping in sleeping pills isn’t the ideal way to get sleep. Apart from leading a healthy lifestyle and having a balanced diet, try introducing essential oils for sleep. It will calm you from any stress-related problems and give you a good night’s sleep.
