July 29, 2024
•
3.5 MIN READ
The Ultimate Guide to Essential Oils for Sleep
Why sleep is so important
Sleep is crucial for maintaining overall health and well-being. It plays a vital role in physical health by allowing the body to repair and rejuvenate. Adequate sleep is essential for proper brain function, affecting cognitive abilities, concentration, and productivity. Emotionally, good sleep can stabilise mood and reduce stress, while chronic sleep disturbances can lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Recognising the importance of sleep, it's clear that it’s important to find effective ways to ensure a restful nights sleep.
Why essential oils can help sleep
Essential oils are natural, aromatic compounds extracted from plants. Many essential oils possess sedative properties, making them effective aids for mild sleep disturbances. Conditions like depression, anxiety, stress, and tension can significantly disrupt sleep patterns. By addressing these underlying issues, certain essential oils can promote better sleep. But what exactly is a sedative?
A sedative is a substance that promotes calmness, relaxation, and drowsiness, helping to induce sleep. Essential oils with sedative properties can be a natural alternative to conventional sleep aids, offering a holistic approach to improving sleep quality.
Which essential oils are good for sleep?
These essential oils are renowned for their sleep-promoting properties and are safe to use during pregnancy and without contraindications:
Lavender
Known for its fruity, herbal, and floral aroma, lavender is a popular choice for sleep aid. Its sedative properties make it beneficial for anxiety, depression, agitation, and insomnia.
Clary sage
This essential oil has a sweet, warm, and herbal scent. Clary sage acts as a sedative and is excellent for alleviating stress, depression, fear, anxiety, and tension.
Roman chamomile
With a sweet, fruity aroma reminiscent of apples, roman chamomile is a gentle sedative. It's particularly effective for insomnia, stress, and tension relief.
Vetivert
Earthy, woody, and sweet, vetiver is one of the best oils for grounding. Its sedative properties make it ideal for hypersensitivity, feelings of hurt, anger, and emotional burnout.
Mandarin
With a sweet and citrusy scent, mandarin essential oil has both sedative and antidepressant effects. It's beneficial for insomnia, tension, restlessness, nervousness, and emotional shock.
Frankincense
This oil has a balsamic, lemony, and spicy aroma. Frankincense's sedative properties are great for reducing anxiety, stress, and tension. It's also often used in meditation to slow and deepen the breath.
Neroli
Sweet, floral, and citrusy, neroli oil has sedative, hypnotic, and antidepressant properties. It's effective for insomnia, anxiety, depression, and emotional shock.
Petitgrain
With a citrusy, floral, and herbal scent, petitgrain has sedative and antidepressant properties. It's excellent for relieving anxiety and mental strain.
Ylang Ylang
This oil has a rich, floral, and sweet fragrance. While it has sedative and antidepressant properties, it can be too intense for some, potentially causing headaches. It's useful for depression, stress, insomnia, anger, fear, and frustration.
How to use essential oils for sleep
There are various methods to use essential oils for promoting better sleep:
Aromatherapy diffuser
Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser to disperse the aroma throughout the room.
Aromatherapy bath
Dilute essential oils in a carrier oil for safe use in the bath. Use about 10 drops per bath, or 2-5 drops for children or the elderly. Pre-blended bath oils which include an emulsifier are the safest option. Emulsifers or solubisers ensure that the essential oils are evenly mixed into the bath water, avoiding hot spots of concentrated essential oils.
Drops on pillow
Place a few drops on your pillow, but avoid the area where your face will be. Caution: darker coloured essential oils may stain your linen.
Dry inhalation
Put a few drops on a piece of cotton, tissue, or cotton ball and inhale the vapors. Avoid letting the cotton come in direct contact with your skin while inhaling.
How to choose good quality essential oils
To ensure you’re using high-quality essential oils, purchase from reputable suppliers who provide:
- Common name and botanical name of the oil
- Source of the oil
- Batch number
- Use by date
- Certificate of purity upon request
For example, lavender oil can sometimes be cut with synthetic linalool or linalyl acetate, so it’s important to choose oils from trusted sources.
Incorporating essential oils into your bedtime routine can be a natural and effective way to enhance your sleep quality, helping you wake up refreshed and revitalised.
Amaranthine's natural face oil is an aromatherapy-infused oil, containing a blend of omega-rich botanical oils that moisturise, nourish, soften and plump all skin types. It's signature blend of essential oils contains frankincense, lavender, geranium and sweet orange - a relaxing and calming blend that can help you sleep better when applied before bed.
References
Aromatherapy Scotland Clinical Aromatherapy Diploma course notes.
Enhancing Sleep Quality through Aromatherapy: Updating the Therapeutic Benefits of Essential Oils.
Photo by Dmitry Ganin on Unsplash
Sarah Rueger
About the author
Sarah is the founder of certified palm oil free natural skincare brand Amaranthine. She is a qualified organic skincare formulator and has diplomas in Beauty Therapy and Clinical Aromatherapy.
