Sleep can be one of the most elusive necessities of life. Some people make themselves stay up late to try to cram in a great big schedule into a finite amount of time. Some people have to work weird hours that turns their sleep cycle upside down. Others clutch at the promise of sleep at the end of the day to only toss and turn in their bed staring at the clock ticking away leaving them wishing for sleep. Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to the way that you function while you’re awake, can cause your body to be more susceptible to illness, and make it so that it doesn’t heal as quickly as it should normally.
The good news is that you can create a more conducive area for sleep that will help you get the winks you need to function at your best during the hours you’re awake. Cover the basics by getting to bed on time, find an organic mattress that is right for your body, and avoid digital screens before bed. You can also learn how to use essential oils for sleep that will get you back on track.
Covered Topics
We’ll cover:
- Essential oils that are best for helping you sleep
- Methods of using essential oils for sleep
- Soak
- Diffuser
- Massage
- Pillow spray
- Creating essential oil blends
- A Word of caution-
- A Cry for help
Top Essential Oils for Facilitating Sleep
- Lavender
- Clary Sage
- Bergamont
- Valerian
- Ylang Ylang
- Sweet Marjoram
- Frankincense
- Sandalwood
- Tangerine
- Patchouli
- Jasmine
- Vetiver
Items Required for Using Essential Oils for Sleep
Blending essential oils requires:
- Essential oils
- Spoon
- Mixing bowl
- Jar or container that can seal
Items needed for soaking:
- Essential oil or oil blend
- Bathtub
- Water
- Epsom salts (optional)
Items needed for a massage oil:
- Essential oil or oil blend
- Carrier oil or unscented lotion
Items needed for a spray:
- Essential oil or oil blend
- Water
- Spray Bottle
Step by Step Instructions for Blending Your Favorite Essential Oils for Sleep
Step 1: Ingredients
Finding the right essential oils that will help you sleep is going to be a very personal process. Your sense of smell will come into play here, and there’s a chance that you may want something that has more than just one oil. Create an oil blend by gathering the different essential oils that you’d like to experiment with along with other necessary materials.
Step 2: Mixing Oils
Smell the oils, and rank them by what you think will go well together. Add them together in your mixing bowl in equal amounts or with a splash of one with a dash of another. Go with what smells relaxing to you. Mix it well with your spoon.
Step 3: Recipes
You’ll want to write down the different amounts of oils that you used to create your blend. You may find the perfect one while experimenting, but not remember how to make it again in the future if you don’t jot it down as you go along.
Step 4: Storage of Your Blended Oil
Pour your mixture into the sealable storage container to ensure that it stays good for a while. Most essential oils are shelf stable when stored in cool, dry conditions.
Step by Step Instructions for Using Essential Oils to Sleep Better
Step 1: Find Your Perfect Essential Oil or Essential Oil Blend for Sleep
Your nose is a powerful sense, and it can not only evoke memories, but it can help you rest. Scents are a personal preference, and what smells divine to you may be too strong or weak for someone else. You may find some scents pep you up when you’re trying to slow down, so experiment with what works as a sleep solution for you.
Step 2: Decide What Method Works Best For You
The different methods of using essential oils for sleep are not right for everyone. You may not be a bath person and not want to soak before bed. You may prefer a massage, but not have someone to help you with a back rub. You may even want to change up the different methods that you use based on how amped up you are before bed.
Step 3A: Soaking With Essential Oils
Soaking in a tub before bed with essential oils can be very relaxing and put you in a peaceful state of mind that helps you ease into sleep once your head hits the pillow. Plus, the scent will remain on your skin, and continue giving you the sleepy benefits of your chosen oil or oils. To have your soak, fill up your tub as you normally would with warm to hot water. Place a few drops into your tub and get in. You can also put in Epsom salts to enhance the relaxing nature of your soak.
Step 3B: Diffusing Essential Oils
Essential oils are often meant to be smelled, and diffusing essential oils is a great way to get the benefits for sleep from them. You can either use a store-bought diffuser to get the aroma into the air around you, or you can use cotton balls. Cotton balls work nicely as they keep the scent without getting you wet. You just add a few drops to the cotton ball, and smell it directly or put it inside of your pillow to smell it as you sleep.
Step 3C: Massage
Massage is an excellent way to relax before bed. You can create a massage oil that contains the best essential oils for you to sleep. You’ll just need to use a carrier oil or unscented lotion that is mixed with your favorite oils to prevent any potential irritation from using straight essential oils. You can blend this in the same fashion as the step by step directions for blending essential oils. Just use a few drops of essential oil that is enough to make a larger amount of the carrier oil scented.
Coconut oil is a popular oil used as a carrier oil for making massage oils that will spread the scent of your favorite essential oil on your skin. Unscented lotion is another good option because it’s all ready for you, and you just need to add your scent with a few drops of essential oil. Your body will be relaxed, and ready to fall asleep after using this method.
Step 3D: Spritz
A spritz is a nice way to get your sheets ready for bed. This will lightly scent your bed, and allow you to inhale this overnight. You may find it’s best to spritz your bed a short time before you go to bed, but not right at bedtime if you prefer not to lay on damp sheets. Create your spritz by filling up a spray bottle with water, and adding a few drops of your essential oil or oil blend. Lightly shake the bottle to mix. Before spraying your bed nightly, you’ll also want to continue with the light shake to make sure that it stays evenly mixed.
Step 4: Repeat
Once you find a method that works for helping you nod off at night, keep it up. Repeating this method will continue to help you fall asleep at the end of the day. If you don’t succeed in finding the perfect sleepy-time essential oil or blend for you, then you’ll need to repeat the experimental process to find what works best for you.
A Word of Caution
As most methods for using essential oils for sleep don’t require ingestion, there isn’t much worry here about getting oils that are high enough grade for consumption. You should, however, remember that essential oils can be harsh on your skin if they aren’t diluted, so if you decide to use it as a massage oil or other topical use, be sure to test a small patch of skin first. This means you’ll only have a reaction in the smaller area rather than your entire body.
A Cry for Help
There is a chance that your sleep issues may be a cry for help from your body letting you know that something is wrong. If you’ve created an environment that is conducive to sleep, and you’re still struggling, it may be a good idea to make that move forward in seeking professional help. It may end up that your health care professional can help you pinpoint what’s going wrong with your body, and get you the right treatment which may assist you in turning over a new leaf with getting better sleep.
Conclusion
Losing out on sleep for one night can upset your equilibrium, and losing out on sleep on a regular basis can make it even worse. You need to get the right amount of sleep to be the best you. Sleep no longer has to be this elusive creature that you have a hard time capturing. Create the optimum sleep environment for yourself using essential oils that help to put you in the right state of mind to sleep. You now have the knowledge to help yourself in finding the right blend of essential oils that can have a beneficial effect on your sleep cycle. It may take some time to find the perfect oil or blend of oils that works the best for you, but it will be well worth it when you start getting the sleep you need.
Do you have a go-to essential oil or blend that you use for helping you sleep? Be sure to share your story to help others in their quest for a better night sleep. Go ahead and share this article with your friends and family that may be going through a sleep issue and have a hard time sleeping.