Best Essential Oils for Sleep

A good night’s sleep is critical for general health and well-being, yet it may be difficult to get. Fortunately, essential oils may assist. They have been used for ages to promote health and well-being. Fortunately, a broad range of essential oils is available to induce relaxation and increase sleep.

Lavender oil

If you have trouble falling asleep or constantly waking up, it may have a negative impact on your health and happiness. While avoiding coffee and eating within a few hours of the night may be enough to cure the issue, you may want a little more assistance to achieve some restful sleep. Your doctor may be your first point of contact. However, if you want to enhance your sleep naturally rather than with medicines and prescriptions, you could try lavender oil.

Lavender is a Mediterranean native, and its name derives from the Latin “to wash,” owing to its ancient usage in washing and herbal baths. Lavender oil is derived by distillation from the lavender plant’s flowers and leaves (1). Lavender’s major constituents are linalyl acetate and linolool, which are regarded to be the chemicals responsible for lavender’s soothing qualities (2).

Lavender oil may help you sleep better by raising theta and alpha wave durations in your brain, which relaxes you. Inhaling the aroma of lavender oil is more beneficial than applying it to the body (2). As a result, breathing lavender oil before bedtime allows you to fall asleep faster and wake up less often throughout the night.

Stress, despair, and worry are some of the causes of insomnia and the inability to sleep (3). The good news is that lavender’s relaxing, flowery aroma is also known to help relieve anxiety (4) and promote relaxation, both of which are necessary for a good night’s sleep. Furthermore, the linalool in lavender oil contains moderate sedative qualities that may aid in the induction of sleep (5). Simply add a few drops to your diffuser before night to enjoy the calming aroma. You may discover that you can fall asleep more quickly and have a more peaceful night’s sleep.

 Chamomile

Most people are acquainted with chamomile as a tea, but did you know that it may also be used to help sleep? Chamomile oil is extracted from the plant Matricaria chamomilla L., which belongs to the daisy family (6). It has long been used as a natural cure for sleeplessness, stress reduction, and anxiety relief. Obviously, falling asleep might be difficult if you are tense or apprehensive. This may be caused by racing thoughts, overthinking, or an overly inventive imagination thinking about “what ifs” while attempting to relax. Chamomile essential oil may help with this.

The oil includes chemicals, including apigenin, a flavonoid that interacts with receptors in the brain, encouraging relaxation. The oil is hypothesized to function by influencing GABA levels in the brain (7), a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation and sleep-wake cycles (8). As a consequence, it has the potential to be an effective method of improving sleep quality. Consider diffusing chamomile oil in your bedroom if you’re having difficulties sleeping. You could find yourself falling asleep sooner than you thought possible.

While research on the usefulness of chamomile oil is limited and needs to be expanded (9), some studies have shown it to be beneficial in lowering anxiety and enhancing sleep quality (10), particularly when combined with lavender essential oil (11). There seems to be greater evidence that chamomile tea aids in falling and staying asleep (7). If you suffer from insomnia, sipping chamomile tea while inhaling lavender oil may be worth a try.

Jasmine

The jasmine flower, which is native to Asia, is used to obtain jasmine oil. The oil has a sweet, flowery aroma that is claimed to be soothing (12), relaxing, and uplifting (13), making it an excellent option for usage before going to bed. Linalool (14), the calming component referenced in the lavender part of this page, is found in jasmine essential oil. This might be why jasmine essential oil offers some sedative and relaxing properties that can help you sleep.

Jasmine oil is also thought to have antispasmodic qualities, which means it may help reduce muscular tension and cramping. This might be beneficial for folks who have trouble sleeping due to pain or discomfort (15). Who can resist a massage on tight muscles with a beautifully scented oil as another way to unwind before bed?

When taken in moderation, jasmine oil is deemed safe for most individuals. However, before using any new essential oil, it is always important to contact a healthcare expert since certain oils may not be suited for persons with particular medical issues.

Bergamot

Bergamot is a citrus essential oil with anecdotal evidence of calming and sleep-inducing properties (16). However, there is currently no scientific data to support this for bergamot oil alone. In reality, according to a study released last year, no calming, sedative, or sleep-inducing properties were discovered (17). The research did discover, however, that bergamot may help elevate low mood, which, as previously noted, might influence sleep quality (3). As a result, it is worthwhile to give it a go. Who needs a scientist to confirm the findings if it works for you?

However, research supports the use of bergamot essential oil for sleep when combined with other oils such as sandalwood oil (18) and ylang-ylang oil (19). (19).

How to use essential oils for a better night’s sleep.

A good night’s sleep is critical for general health and well-being, yet it may be difficult to get. Fortunately, essential oils may assist. They have been used for ages to promote health and well-being. Fortunately, a broad range of essential oils is available to induce relaxation and increase sleep.

If you have trouble sleeping, it is essential to establish regular nighttime routines. This is known as sleep hygiene, and it may be improved by including essential oils in your daily routine. An excellent place to start is by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a diffuser in your bedroom around 30 minutes before night. You might also light an essential oil candle or use an oil burner. You just need to be concerned about the fire danger. Make sure the candle or oil burner is on a level, solid surface, away from any heat sources, and that animals and children are not allowed in your bedroom.

A beautiful warm, soothing bath before the night is another approach to encourage sleep and calm. This is an excellent time to add a few additional drops of sleep-inducing essential oil to your bath or to light a candle. Again be careful of the hazards of the bare flame.

Apply a tiny quantity of the right essential oil to your pulse points on the wrists, neck, or temples as you prepare for bed. Alternatively, or additionally, apply a few drops on your pillow, pyjamas, or nightgown. If you’re worried about staining your bed linens or nightgown, apply the essential oil on a cotton wool ball, tissue, or handkerchief instead.

Another technique to utilize essential oils to help you sleep is to rub the oil over your chest. This is only possible if the oil is diluted with a carrier oil. 5 drops of essential oil with 1 fluid ounce of jojoba oil is effective.

Lavender seems to have the greatest anecdotal and scientific evidence to support its usage for assisting you to fall and stay asleep. If it works for you, that’s fantastic. However, it is worthwhile to experiment with various oils since there seems to be an increase in benefits when they are combined.

References

1. About Lavender http://www.lavendersense.com/index.php/Lavender/Index
2. Lavender and the Nervous System https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/
3. The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7045300/
4. Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of ‘subsyndromal’ anxiety disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20512042/
5. Sedative effect on humans of inhalation of essential oil of linalool:: Sensory evaluation and physiological measurements using optically active linalools https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003267097006399
6. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): An overview https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210003/
7. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with a bright future https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/
8. Effects of Oral Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Administration on Stress and Sleep in Humans: A Systematic Review https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00923/full
9. Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-11-78?crsi=662497094&cicada_org_src=healthwebmagazine.com&cicada_org_mdm=direct

• Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and quasi-randomized trials https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31006899/
• Effects of Aromatherapy on the Anxiety, Vital Signs, and Sleep Quality of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients in Intensive Care Units https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3588400/
• Intoxicating fragrance: Jasmine as valium substitute https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708104320.htm
• The effects of jasmine Oil inhalation on brain wave activities and emotions https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236235613_The_effects_of_jasmine_Oil_inhalation_on_brain_wave_activies_and_emotions
• Sedative effects of the jasmine tea odor and (R)-(-)-linalool, one of its major odor components, on autonomic nerve activity and mood states https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15976995/
• Effectiveness of jasmine oil massage on reduction of labor pain among primigravida mothers https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/52b7/5fb2cb4d45dde2b6a2d3a96b08246a3a422d.pdf
• A breakdown of all the best essential oils for sleep https://www.sleepdunwoody.com/blog/2019/09/12/a-breakdown-of-all-the-best-essential-oils-for-sleep/
• The Effect of Bergamot Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Improving Depressive Mood and Sleep Quality in Postpartum Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial https://journals.lww.com/jnr-twna/Fulltext/2022/04000/The_Effect_of_Bergamot_Essential_Oil_Aromatherapy.8.aspx?context=LatestArticles
• The use of aroma sticks to help with sleep problems: A patient experience survey https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26850806/
• Trial of Essential Oils to Improve Sleep for Patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2019.0222

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