Essential oil have an incredibly diverse range of scientifically proven therapeutic effects, and one of them includes the enhancement of sleep. Whether it be a result of reducing anxiety, mild sedation, or simple relaxation, researchers have concluded oils can affect both the length of time being asleep and/or the “depth” or quality of the sleep itself. There are several oils used by aromatherapy practitioners for this purpose, and it’s likely one oil and technique will work better for a given individual than another. That said, here’s some oils and techniques with which you can experiment, and help yourself or a loved-one get a better night’s rest.
The first oil of choice, and the one with the most scientific backing is lavender, distilled from the lovely purple flowers grown in France and Bulgaria. Lavender is certainly the most widely used oil for stress reduction, with a great many research papers supporting this effect. Lavender is the essential oil with the highest amount of “linalool”, a natural chemical to which the relaxing effects are attributed. Linalool itself has been the subject of numerous studies, and its gently sedating action is well documented.
What makes lavender so popular for sleep? It has a perfect combination of a perfect safety record, pleasing aroma, affordability, and ease of purchase. The oil is available at nearly every health market, and because only a few drops are needed at any one time, the overall cost of use is especially low. The aroma and its effects are enjoyed by a majority of the population. However, lavender’s flowery scent is not for everyone, and for these folks, its important to experiment either with technique (the oil can be applied to the feet such that the aroma isn’t much of a factor), or simply another oil.
An important point for mothers of very young children: Lavender has even been the subject of research performed with infants. A few drops of lavender oil added to a bath made a significant improvement in the amount of sleep the infants got, they cried less, and even the mothers enjoyed lower stress levels. The researchers concluded their findings were in accordance with all previous research noting the sleep-enhancing, stress-reducing effects of the oil.
For those who don’t care for the aroma, or are looking for the absolute simplest method of use, several papers were published concurrently investigating the effects of a lavender oil pill. The pill contained eighty milligrams of essential oil, and one was ingested daily for ten weeks. The overall aim of the studies was to evaluate the pill’s efficacy in treating anxiety disorders, but one of the questionnaires participants filled out was an evaluation of their sleep. Researchers noted in their conclusion: the lavender oil preparation “had a significant beneficial influence on quality and duration of sleep and improved general mental and physical health without causing any unwanted sedative or other drug specific effects”.
The essential oil distilled from the heartwood of the sandal tree has also been shown to improve sleep. While the test subjects inhaled the essential oil’s vapors, the researchers determined it was the action of the essential oil in the bloodstream that produced the effect of reduced time spent awake, and a longer duration of REM sleep. This indicates the oil can be administered through topical application as well as inhalation, as is also the case with lavender.
Other essential oils that do not necessarily have science-backed results, but are otherwise traditionally used for sleep enhancement include chamomile, neroli and ylang ylang. Chamomile is mentioned by many professional therapists for use with children, and can be used just as lavender is, or probably better yet, blended with lavender for a synergy of effects. Neroli is thought to be the single most calming oil in all of aromatherapy, with an even more gentle action than lavender. Ylang ylang, with a pleasing floral scent, may be more widely enjoyed than lavender with similar effects.
So what’s best way to use essential oils for better sleep? The answer is that there is no “best” way — really that almost any classic aromatherapy technique will be suitable. The options for all oils are: use throughout the night in a diffuser, massage a couple drops into the feet (top and bottom), sprinkle a drop or two onto one’s bedding, or add a little to a bath before retiring. If using topically, these oils are generally safe to use undiluted, though with the very young, or for those with sensitive skin, mix a couple of drops of essential oil into a teaspoon of any carrier oil before application. If you’re interested in seeing if ingestion of lavender works for you, try putting 1-3 drops in a capsule and taking daily on an empty stomach — this is only recommended with lavender, as it is the only oil with significant research on the long-term effects.
As you can see, there are a number of oils and a number of methods to use essential oils for support of a good night’s rest. As with any medicine, there’s no one technique and oil that will work best for everyone. It’s important to try a few oils with different methods — even different members of the same family will respond to these oil and application combinations in different ways. If getting a good night’s sleep is an issue for someone in your house, experimenting in this way with aromatherapy might yield very wonderful rewards.
The author is a frequent user of helichcrysum essential oil and other natural botanicals for healing.
