Essential Oils for Insomnia

 Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for a long period of time.  It’s a condition that affects almost every single person at one point or another during their lifetime.  Today, we want to discuss some of the benefits of essential oils and how they can be used for relieving insomnia.

No one really knows the exact reason why people suffer from insomnia, since the reasons can vary greatly from one person to the next. Here are some of the most well-known triggers for insomnia:

1. Stress
2. Depression
3. Anxiety
4. Chronic illnesses
5. Some medications

 

Nature’s helpers

 Treatment methods are varied, including pills, meditation, white noise, dimmed lights. But there is one way of getting you the sleep you need without any chemicals or unreliable methods; essential oils.

Through distillation, scientists are able to extract oils found naturally in plants. Distillation requires the purification of a plant’s natural oils through both heating and cooling; the former causes evaporation while the latter results in condensation. Through this process, they are able to separate and extract essential oils.

Aromatherapy is a widely known treatment method that uses scented essential oils bearing the signature scent of the plant from which they came.

Simple smells can trigger such powerful emotions and memories that have a direct impact on our nervous systems. That’s why aromatherapy has been used for centuries to treat a myriad of health conditions, among them being insomnia.

 

Here are some of the most popular essential oils to help you get a rested night’s sleep.

 

Lavender

It’s by far one of the best-known essential oils for its relaxing and calming effects. Studies show that lavender oil calms the nervous system, lowers blood pressure. Lavender helps reduce anxiety and stress levels which helps you fall asleep and also enjoy a full night’s quality sleep.

 

Chamomile Essential Oil

 Another popular choice to treat insomnia is chamomile. This essential oil has many therapeutic properties, such as sedative and relaxing properties. Chamomile is sweet, has a herbaceous scent that has a soothing effect.  Combined with lavender, it makes a more potent relaxant to help prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

 

Marjoram Essential Oil

There are many types of marjoram oil, but the one that works really great to treat insomnia is sweet marjoram. This is due to its calming and soothing properties. It helps lower blood pressure, ease hyperactivity and hypertension, all which help you enjoy a restful sleep. Marjoram is the ‘herb of happiness’ to the Romans and to the Greeks, as the ‘joy of the mountains’.

Just as with chamomile, you can blend sweet marjoram essential oil with lavender to get a highly effective insomnia treatment. You can blend it with a little bit of coconut oil (one type of carrier oil to help smooth out the oil on the skin and blend it more easily).

 

Bergamot

One of the most potent anti-anxiety essential oils around, bergamot calms the nervous system, lowers blood pressure and quells those restless nights. It helps with digestion, which can be a factor when treating insomnia.

Bergamot is a disinfectant, which inhibits the growth of fungi and viruses. It is part of the citrus family and its oil is derived from its rind. It is safe for adults, children and pregnant women; bergamot can be inhaled or applied topically.

 

Cedarwood 

One of the great advantages of cedarwood is that it promotes the healthy functioning of the pineal gland, which is the gland responsible for releasing the body’s sleep hormone (melatonin). You can mix it with lavender or chamomile to help induce a restful night.

 

If you are interested in exploring more options for essential oil uses, please take advantage of our FREE eBook “50 Wellness Uses for Aromatherapy”

 

 

Deika King, TND, MH, CCT, PSc.D

Traditional Doctor of Naturopathy Houston

832-422-7271

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