Good sleep is hard to come by when dealing with the pressure and struggles of modern-day life. Difficulty sleeping tends to stem from problems you may experience at home or work, resulting in further stress and high blood pressure. Your sleep can easily be interrupted by noise from outside traffic or from other loud devices, like a bathroom hand dryer. Lack of sleep will make you less responsive and more sluggish the next day.
Fortunately, there are plenty of natural methods to help your body relax. For example, certain essential oils are extremely effective at ensuring you have a good night’s sleep if used correctly. Using a diffuser, you can release the essential oils into the air, allowing the scent to fill the room and ease you into a sleep state. Other options include creating steam with essential oils and boiling water or applying directly while massaging it onto your skin.
In this article, we will tell you all you need to know about which essential oil will help to improve your sleep. Essential oils for sleep.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is known for its versatility with the benefits it can provide. One of these key benefits is its ability to help with sleep. Many studies have cited lavender oil’s effectiveness in preventing insomnia.
Lavender oil can also be used to help lower your body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. One of the main causes of insomnia and restlessness is anxiety, and as lavender oil can help to lower your heart rate, it should allow you to sleep more easily. Feeling too hot, having a high heart rate and high blood pressure are all things that can massively hinder sleep, making lavender oil an invaluable, preventative resource for anyone looking to get a good night’s rest.
Ylang Ylang Oil
Ylang ylang oil, whilst not as effective as lavender, is still a powerful tool for combating sleeplessness. It is a potent sleep remedy widely used to keep restlessness at bay. Ylang ylang is an extract of tropical leaves from Asia, and can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, allowing your body to relax into a deep sleep, leaving your mind at ease. Ylang ylang gives off a pleasant, sweet, fruity scent, which also assists in calming the body and mind.
Chamomile Oil
Chamomile oil may not give off specific benefits outside of a soothing relief that helps you sleep, but it is still known to be an effective essential oil. It has a minimal effect on the body’s temperature and rhythm, but like ylang ylang, comes with a calming scent that can relax anyone who inhales it. Chamomile oil has a subtle floral aroma, whereas roman chamomile is known for its apple-tinged fresh scent. This essential oil is again used to treat anxiety.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil may not be a sleep aid, but instead is used for clearing sinuses, which in turn can help you to feel restful. Peppermint oil has a particularly pleasant fragrance, and contains menthol, which can open airways in your nose and mouth, making it very effective for those suffering from allergies or dust sensitivity. If you feel particularly congested or blocked up, inhaling peppermint oil diffused into the air can help to ease your symptoms, allowing you to have a better chance of falling asleep.
Bergamot Oil
Bergamot oil is another oil with many benefits. In addition to helping with insomnia, it also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Like lavender and ylang ylang oil, bergamot oil helps to lower your heart rate and blood pressure, allowing the body to have a better and deeper sleep. Bergamot oil can also significantly help to reduce stress, which can act as a barrier between you and a proper night’s rest. All you need to do is to add a few drops into a hot boiling pot to diffuse the oil into the air, before inhaling it, allowing the effects to kick in.
Sandalwood oil
Sandalwood oil has mood-balancing properties, and can create an effective and relaxing deep sleep effect. The only downside is that it is very expensive. However, we feel that it is worth every penny, as it is one of the most frequently recommended essential oils for rest and relaxation. Its unique scent makes it perfect for unwinding after a long stressful day.
Cedarwood Oil
A more affordable alternative to candalwood oil is cedarwood oil. Like sandalwood oil, cedarwood’s natural aroma conveys a sense of nature and peace. Whilst it is arguably less effective than the sandalwood oil, it is still incredibly beneficial when helping you to relax your mind.
To conclude, a good night’s sleep can be hard to come by, but there are various essential oils that can help you to relax and ease you into a gentle rest. Incorporating essential oils into your night-time routine can be highly beneficial and bring positive changes to your sleeping schedule. Lavender and sandalwood oil, above all, are the most recommended options to help with insomnia, though each essential oil can help to tackle different obstacles to your sleep. For example, ylang ylang oil can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and inhaling peppermint oil dispersed from a diffuser can help to clear sinuses if you are susceptible to allergens. A less expensive alternative is cedarwood oil, which while is not as effective, is still imbued with many of the properties of sandalwood. We hope this article proved informative and helps you improve your sleeping cycles. Thank you for reading!