Catch Up On Sleep Using Essential Oils !

Tossing, turning, and struggling to fall asleep ? Essential oils are extracted from plants in a way so they retain their original properties.

Essential oils have been used for centuries to promote relaxation and mental and physical wellness. Today, these same oils are increasingly being studied by scientists in search of a more rigorous, specific understanding of their benefits to sleep and health.

Different Ways to use Essential Oils for Sleep:

This is personal preference.

• Massage a few drops on your chest, wrist, neck, forehead, hands, or feet. Before applying the essential oil, mix it with a carrier oil; olive, grapeseed, coconut, or sweet almond oil, because your skin may be sensitive to undiluted essential oils.

• Essential oil infused light aromatherapy candles.

• Pour a few drops in an air diffuser.

• Put a few drops of essential oils on your hand and rub your palms together before smelling them.

• Add essential oils to water and spray in your room or your pillow.

• Pour a few drops along with Epsom salt in your bath before bedtime.

• Add essential oils to a pot of boiling hot water and inhale the steam coming out of it. You may want to put a towel around your head creating a tent effect, ensuring the steam doesn’t escape.

10 Sleep-Inducing Essential Oils

Essential oils have many benefits and promoting sleep is one of them. Essential oils from certain plants are known for their soothing effects—using them at bedtime may help in tackling insomnia and promoting better sleep. Other essential oils promote sleep by clearing your airways and preventing sleep disruptions due to snoring or sleep apnea.

Lavender Oil

Lavender is known for its relaxing effects. Researchers have found that lavender increases slow-wave sleep, instrumental for slowing heart rate and muscle relaxation—thus promoting restful sleep. Lavender works as an anxiolytic (an anxiety reliever) and as a sedative, to increase relaxation and calm, and help bring about sleep. Lavender interacts with the neurotransmitter GABA to help quiet the brain and nervous system activity, reducing agitation, anger, aggression, and restlessness.

Chamomile Oil

Chamomile alleviates insomnia by reducing anxiety and tackling depression. It’s been used in ancient herbal medicines to reduce levels of stress and anxiety. Chamomile has long been associated with promoting a good night’s sleep, and research seems to back that up. Used as an herb, it’s often taken by mouth. In a study Trusted Source of 60 elderly people, the participants were divided into two groups. One group was given capsules of chamomile extract twice a day, while the others were given a placebo.

At the end of the study, there was a significant increase in the sleep quality of those who took the chamomile extracts when compared to the group who were given the placebo.

Sweet Marjoram Oil

The fragrance of sweet marjoram is known for its calming qualities and is recommended for insomnia. If your brain is relaxed and calm, it’s better able to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep. Marjoram essential oil has the properties of anesthesia and tranquilization, which has special effects on soothing emotions and can fight against depression, sadness, tension, and anxiety. Insomnia patients can get a sweet night's sleep after enjoying the warm water bath or massage of marjoram.

Bergamot Oil

Bergamot is a citrus fruit, but unlike other citrus oils that are known to be stimulating, bergamot has a calming effect. Studies have found that bergamot essential oil induces physiological changes, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure that precede sleep. But bergamot oil is known to be photosensitive—avoid topically applying it before going outside.

Clary Sage Oil

Clary sage is known for its antidepressant effects. This essential oil is a natural sedative as it has been shown to reduce levels of the hormone cortisol, often associated with stress. This essential oil is a natural sedative that can provide a calming effect to help you fall and stay asleep.

Valerian Oil

Valerenic acid in valerian oil is known to inhibit the breakdown of the neurotransmitter GABA, which induces sleep. It works on the principles of anti-anxiety medicines and promotes deep sleep.

Sandalwood Oil

The woody and earthy scent of sandalwood is effective in relieving stress and anxiety. Research has shown that sandalwood may have a sedative effect by reducing wakefulness.

Ylang Ylang Oil

Ylang Ylang oil is produced from the ylang-ylang fruit of Canaga trees, native to Indonesia. This oil is known to have a soothing effect, which alleviates stress and promotes sleep.

Jasmine Oil

The botanical constituents of jasmine have a molecular mechanism similar to certain medicines prescribed for sleep. Jasmine oil is known for helping in tackling insomnia.

Peppermint Oil

The anti-inflammatory nature of peppermint oil helps in clearing the airways and reduces snoring and sleep apnea symptoms.

9 Ways to Distress

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1. Breathe take two minutes to breathe. Breathing only through the nose, count to four as you deeply inhale, then count to seven as you hold your breath, and count to eight as you exhale. Repeat the cycle three more times. This should take around two minutes to complete. This will help you focus on your body and help you breathe more deeply on a regular basis without even needing to think about it.

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2. Drink herbal tea. If you’ve never tried herbal tea, now might be a good time

to give it a try for some stress relief. Teas like lemon balm, peppermint,

chamomile, or passion flower are helpful. You can incorporate essential oils

into your tea as well—infuse a drop of essential oils like Roman

Chamomile, Lavender, or Melissa into herbal teas like chamomile to soothe

the body and mind.* Just the act of drinking warm tea can also be soothing and

relaxing and just the boost you need for the day.

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3. Get outside in the fresh air. Although this is easier to do when the weather is

nice, even when the weather is not ideal, it is a good idea to at least get a few

minutes of fresh air each day and get your body moving. Reconnecting to the

outside world and nature can help you refocus and feel better. If you can’t go

outside in this moment, reach for Vetiver. Its calming and grounding effect on

emotions is great to diffuse, or to put directly in your palms, cup your hands

around your nose, and inhale.

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4. Exercise for at least for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Exercise is

known to bump up the level of endorphin production, improves your mood,

and helps you move past the day’s irritations. Learn more about exercise and

stress resilience here.

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5. Set out 10 minutes in the morning for meditation. In yoga specifically,

meditating is about being grounded physically and mentally, and coming to an

expanded state of awareness. You can start meditating by choosing a

consistent time and place, and then picking something to focus on for that

session. (Examples of different focuses include a helpful intention or

affirmation like “I am relaxed”, counting your breath as in point number one,

or visualizing your favorite spot in nature and trying to keep your focus on that

only.) Don’t be discouraged if your mind starts to wander, just refocus back on

your purpose. You can also increase the effects of mediation by diffusing

calming oils like Frankincense while you practice. There are many other ways

to meditate, try different kinds before you determine how to incorporate it into

your daily life.

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6. Give yourself a hand massage. To reduce the effects of daily stress, put a drop

of Ylang Ylang or AromaTouch and some Fractionated Coconut Oil into your

palms and massage your hand slowly using the AromaTouch Hand Technique .

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7. Apply PastTense or Peace . Because PastTense comes in a roll-

on bottle, this grounding and soothing blend is convenient and easy to use.

(doTERRA Peace also comes in a roll-on version that is equally as easy.) You

can apply either blend to your temples, wrists, or the back of your neck in

times when you need to quickly ease stressful or anxious feelings on the go.

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8. Ensure that you get enough sleep. Dr. David K. Hill, doTERRA Chief

Medical Advisor, insists that, “Sufficient amounts of rest provide bodies with

an opportunity to recover from the day’s activity, improve energy levels, and

reduce the effects of stress.” If you currently struggle with falling asleep,

diffuse doTERRA Serenity ®  about 30 minutes before you go to bed, or take

doTERRA Serenity ®  Softgels.

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9. Generate a support system. This may be our most important tip, because

even though it can be hard to reach out to others when you feel overwhelmed,

sometimes it is necessary to depend on other people for help. Don’t try to keep

going alone. Even if the stress is over something that you feel you have to do

alone, at least having someone there to listen or give you a hug (which

is proven to help with stress on its own) can help more than you realize.