Essential Oils and Winding Down Before Bed

On average, we spend about 26 years sleeping, so as you can imagine, sleep is one of the most important parts of our lives. When we don't get a restful sleep, our cognitive skills lessen as does our bodies' ability to heal and rejuvenate.

There can be many reasons why people don’t sleep. It can be stress, worry, a snoring partner, anxiety, ADD/ADHD issues, parenting small children, depression, hormonal changes, menopause, and the daily trials and tribulations of life.

Whatever our individual reason may be, here are a few ideas to help you settle your mind and body so you can have a restful night.

The easiest way to get started is to try one oil for a few days and then another for the next few days, etc. Put a couple of drops on your pillowcase at night (keep away from where your face will be) and breathe in the aroma deeply. Test out the different ones and find what works best for you.

If dropping essential oils on your pillow is not desirable to you, there are several other options. A water diffuser with a timer is an ideal option as are pillow sprays which can be made very easily...

An essential oil pillow spray that would certainly help you drift off to dream land:

Small Spray bottle (at least 250ml and dark in colour would be best to protect your oils)
1 cup distilled water
1 1/2 Tsp witch hazel, plain vodka, or denatured alcohol
12 drops lavender essential oil

Of course if you aren't a lavender fan, there are other great essential oil options to help you get off to la la land:

Lavender - calming, works as an anti depressant, fights headaches
Clary Sage - relieves stress, helps balance hormones, fights insomnia
Bergamot - helps to relieve anxiety & balance emotions
Roman Chamomile - calms your stomach & nerves-especially effective in children
Frankincense - promotes calmness, relaxation & deep breathing for staying healthy.

Any of the essential oils will create a splendid sleep spray to help you at nights! Try some of these together to see what you like best!

A couple of other tips:
  • Yoga, meditation, and bio-feedback, are all good ways to help you overcome the stresses involved in our day-to-day lives so you can calm down enough to sleep.
  • Always 'unplug' for at least an hour before bed as the harsh glow of a computer or phone screen are very stimulating for the brain, so crack a book, relax and settle in for a restful sleep!

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