We’re going to take a look at a range of oils which are considered to be the best essential oils for sleep.
If using oils for sleep sound a little bit ‘hippyish’ or ‘new-agey’…I understand.
I thought that myself until a friend of mine introduced me to some of the essential oils she uses to help her get good sleep.
It turns out that essential oils have been used for centuries to improve different areas of health.
Be willing to try something a little bit different and a whole new world will open up to you.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are naturally occurring, aromatic compounds that are extracted from various parts of different plants including the stem, seeds, flowers, leaves, roots and bark.
Over 3000 of these aromatic compounds have been discovered to date, with each of those potentially offering different health benefits.
These compounds are pulled out of the plants using the process of distillation and what you are left with is a highly concentrated oil extract.
How Can You Use Essential Oils?
There are three basic ways that you can use essential oils.
- You can use them for aromatherapy.
- You can apply the oils to your body’s largest organ – your skin.
- You can ingest them by using them to make some sort of tea or drink.
The way you use the oil will depend on the oil you’ve chosen and what purpose you’re using that oil for.
In the majority of cases, the way these essential oils help to improve your sleep is by increasing your body’s ability to relax.
You see stress and anxiety are among the most common reasons for people to experience sleep issues.
When your cortisol levels are raised, your body can’t produce melatonin.
And if your body can’t produce melatonin then the whole cascade of events in the brain that must occur for sleep to happen can’t get started.
So basically what you’re looking for are essential oils that can help you relax.
For every individual this could be a different oil.
So use the list below as your starting point and be willing to experiment a little as you try and figure out the best essential oil for sleep in your particular situation.
7 Of The Best Essential Oils For Sleep
1) Lavender Oil
Using lavender oil for sleep is possibly something you’ve heard of before. This is without a doubt the most well known of the essential oils for sleep and relaxation.
The lavender scent is well known for it’s ability to bring about a feeling of calm and contentment which is obviously going to be beneficial for good sleep.
2) Roman Chamomile Oil
You’ve probably heard of using chamomile tea as a way to relax and prepare you to get a good night’s sleep.
Well you can also use an essential oil version of chamomile to achieve the same effect.
3) Cedarwood Oil
As you’d expect, this oil has an outdoorsy, forest kind of scent.
It’s sometimes considered to be useful for sleep as it can potentially improve the function of your pineal gland.
This is the gland that produces melatonin and is therefore vitally important for better sleep.
4) Ylang Ylang Oil
This essential oil comes from the flower of the Canaga tree which is native to Indonesia.
The oil has a slight sedative effect which can potentially help with hypertension, stress and anxiety – all good things when you’re trying to fall asleep faster or get a better nights sleep.
5) Vetiver Oil
Vetiver oil is particularly well know for it’s ability to bring emotions back under control.
If you’re struggling to fall asleep because of something that’s related to your emotions then this might be the ideal starting point for you.
6) Frankincense Oil
Frankincense is well know as an oil that can help you better deal with stress and anxiety in your life, making it an ideal choice when you’re trying to improve your sleep
7) Marjoram Oil
This is a delightfully scented oil that acts as a powerful agent for calming and relaxing your body.
Bonus – Magnesium Oil For Sleep
OK…so technically this one isn’t an essential oil. But it’s definitely an oil that can have a massive impact on the quality and duration of your sleep.
Magnesium is thought to be the number one mineral deficiency being faced by western societies today.
It’s involved in over 300 reactions within the body making it super important for good health.
Your sleep in particular can be improved greatly by supplementing with a magnesium oil.
This is because it’s very difficult to get adequate magnesium from your diet. So it’s an ideal mineral to take in supplemental form.
What most people don’t realize is that magnesium ingested transdermally (through the skin) is where you can get the most benefits from magnesium supplementation.
If you’re keen to give a magnesium spray a try, head to the link below to check out one of the higher quality magnesium oils for sleep you can find.
How To Use Essential Oils For Better Sleep
All of the above essential oils are known for their ability to improve your sleep.
Not every oil will work for every person so it’s worth testing each of them to see if any of them have a more calming, soothing effect on you than the others.
The best essential oils for sleep work most effectively as part of a routine you use to wind down at the end of the day as you get ready to go to bed.
Their power will only increase the more often you use them as part of this routine, especially when you find that one essential oil that really brings about a sense of relaxation for you.