Essential Oils For A Good Nights Sleep

The Sleep Council claims that the average Brit spends just six-and-a-half hours in the land of nod each night.

This is the equivalent of just 2,372.5 hours annually.

As a nation we’re pretty tired and the problem is only intensifying as we become more connected. Indeed, technology has been blamed for keeping us up all night. Add into the mix all the stress from work, family, money and relationships, and it becomes easy to understand why so many of us struggle to get to sleep.

This is concerning given how important sleep is to our health and wellbeing. Without proper sleep, research has found that we are much more vulnerable to mental impairment and illness.

So how can people ensure they’re getting the good night’s sleep they need?

Essential oils are a great way to soothe the body into a relaxing sleep. They are more gentle and natural than the usual pharmaceutical medications, and work to ease all the usual sleep inhibitors, such as anxiety and stress.

Here are a few effective essential oils to help you get a good night’s sleep.

Neroli

This essential oil is a mild sedative that is often used to reduce feelings of anxiety, panic and depression. This ensures the mind is relaxed before bedtime, increasing the likelihood of a good night’s sleep.

Add six to eight drops of neroli essential oil to your bath and agitate the water vigorously to ensure it is properly dispersed. Alternatively, add a cap-full of Bath Dispersant to the water before adding the essential oil.

Roman Chamomile

This is a popular oil to treat insomnia due to chamomiles pronounced sedative and relaxing properties. Roman chamomile essential oil is also a known mood enhancer, which can help to banish any negative feelings that prevent relaxation.

For a simple synergistic blend, combine Roman chamomile with lavender essential oil in equal proportions. This combination is known to aid a good night’s sleep, and it smells gorgeous too! Add four drops of Roman chamomile and four drops of lavender oil to a nice warm bath, agitate the water to get an even dispersion, and relax for 20 minutes. You’ll sleep all the better for it.

Jasmine

In 2002 researchers confirmed that jasmine oil helps promote sleep because it is a powerful relaxant that can help combat insomnia.

Dr Bryan Raudenbush and his colleagues at the Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, found that people who slept in rooms fragranced with jasmine slept more peacefully and reported higher afternoon alertness than when spending the night in a lavender-scented room, or one with no added fragrance at all.

Add a few drops of jasmine to a diffuser before you go to bed so it can fill your bedroom with this beautiful relaxing scent. This will help you drop off into a deeply relaxing, restful night’s sleep.

Sweet Marjoram

This essential oil has a wonderful calming and sedative effect on the nervous system, and helps to lower blood pressure whilst easing nervous tension and stress. This combination helps to calm both mind and body, which is vitally important when trying to combat insomnia. If you do suffer badly with this condition, read our more in-depth article that also includes recipes for insomnia.

Add a few drops of sweet marjoram essential oil to a diffuser in your bedroom prior to going to bed. The relaxing aroma will begin to fill the room, so that by the time you’ve undressed and got into bed the soothing oil will already have got to work, helping to lull you into a deep and restorative sleep. Alternatively of course, you could add eight drops to a warm bath to help you unwind before retiring to bed.

Be sure to check out my other article about natural ways to get better sleep.

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2013. Written by Sue Charles

Tags: anxiety, essential oils, insomnia, relaxation, stress