Experimenting With Essential Oils For Better Sleep

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 single most studied oil for enhancement of rest is true lavender, steam distilled from the flowering tops of Lavendula angustifolia. This sweet, flowery essential oil seems to be the one most effective to the widest population of users, and has historically been the "go to" oil for sleep enhancement. What makes Lavender unique is it contains the highest concentration of a natural chemical called "linalool", which by itself has been shown to improve sleep, as well as reduce stress and anxiety.

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.

One of the great features of lavender is that it can safely be used with infants, a feature every mother will be particularly appreciative of. Researchers at the Touch Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine found that a bath scented with lavender essential oil resulted in infants that "cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath". Further, lower stress of the mothers bathing their children was also noted: "The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants."

The latest published research involving lavender utilized an ingestable lavender capsule, rather than lavender aroma. The focus of the study was to see whether the capsule reduced anxiety when compared to a placebo or a common sedative drug. The lavender capsule was deemed as effective as the pharmaceutical preparation in reducing anxiety, and it was noted that study participants also slept better when ingesting the equivalent of 2 drops of lavender oil per day. Because lavender works both when inhaled and when ingested, it stands to reason it will work via topical application as well, where the oil can both be smelled and passed through the skin into the bloodstream.

Sandalwood is another very popular oil with sleep enhancing properties. Sandalwood comes from the heartwood of trees growing in India, Australia and islands in the South Pacific. All these oils contain the individual constituents attributed to improved rest and relaxation, called "santalols". So while the Indian variety is considered the finest for perfumery, all of these should do the trick. Santalols seem to produce a someone different physiological action than the linalool in lavender. It is not considered sedating, and might even be clarifying to the mind. Like lavender, sandalwood also appears to work not only through aroma alone, and should be effective via both aromatic and topical use.

A few other oils are commonly used for sleep therapy. These include the chamomiles, valerian, vetiver, rose and ylang ylang. The chamomile oils, both Roman and German, have a long history of use for bringing about a calm state and enhancing sleep, especially with children. They do have unique aromas, such that they are best used sparingly, or perhaps blended with other essential oils. It may be that only small amounts are necessary to produce the effect you're looking for -- it may not be necessary to smell the aroma intensely to achieve the desired result. The oils distilled from the roots of valerian and vetiver are very pungent, and are probably best suited to adults who enjoy their strong aromas. These too are excellent choices for topical application, particularly on the feet (more on this in a moment). Finally, the floral scents of rose and ylang ylang can be very relaxing and sleep enhancing, and might be a great choice for those who like floral aromas but don't care for lavender in particular.

Aromatherapy presents a very wide variety of methods to actually use these essential oils -- which is the best for getting a good night's sleep? Certainly the most common is the use of an aromatherapy diffuser, which can release the scent throughout the night. Of similar effect is simply applying a couple drops under one's pillow, so the aroma is softly detected but not overwhelming. Topical application to the tops and/or bottoms of the feet is another common method. Many energy meridians in the body end there, and these areas are particularly receptive to the actions of essential oils. Lavender and chamomile oils can be applied undiluted to these areas with adults, but in all other cases, the essential oils should be diluted in a seed or nut oil first and then massaged-in. As noted earlier, ingestion of small amounts of lavender may be effective for some adults, particularly if their sleep is disrupted by anxiety -- 1 to 3 drops in a capsule once per day would replicate the research noting the positive effects on rest.

Clearly there are a number of essential oils and techniques which can lead to a better night's sleep. It's important to remember that one oil and one technique will not necessarily work for every individual. If you've tried lavender in a diffuser without apparent benefit, try it on the feet next. If that doesn't work, experiment with another essential oil. Some researchers suggest the sweet, floral aromas may work better for women -- in that case, an oil like sandalwood make work better for men. Again, this is a generalization, but makes a point -- individuals have different tastes and different body chemistry. When getting a good night's sleep is an issue for yourself or a loved one, it may be worthwhile to mix and match your oils and techniques to find the best resolution to this important health issue.