Ah, sleep. Beautiful, wonderful, sometimes impossible sleep.
What used to come so easily to me has become more and more tricky over the last few years.
I’m sure my sleep (or lack of sleep) story is similar to most women in the same stage of life as me. When my children were babies and toddlers, their bad dreams, overnight illnesses, and way to early wake-ups had pretty much sent the quality and length of my sleep completely out of whack.
As my kids grow older and their sleep has become more regular, my nights are often still interrupted by my own worry and stress.
Like a lot of fans, my introduction to essential oils came when looking for help with my sleep problems. At the time, I was just starting my journey into a building a simpler, greener home, and essential oils fit right into my new lifestyle.
There are many, many oils on the market, so it may seem pretty overwhelming to try to choose the ones that will work best for your sleepless nights. And, since those little bottles can be pricey, you don’t want to waste your money on an oil that won’t have the benefits you need.
There are a few oils, however, that you’ll see pop up again and again in chats about rest and relaxation.
Here are my choices for the 7 essential oils that you need for your best night’s sleep.
Lavender is the most common and easily accessible of all the oils for sleep. It’s subtle, soft, and soothing. Commonly used to calm anxiety and stress, lavender oil is not as flowery as you might expect, which is why I love it so much.
Roman Chamomile has a light, sweet scent. If you’ve ever had a cup of chamomile tea, you can imagine the slight flowery aroma this oil has. And just like the calming tea, the oil can help with anxiety and insomnia.
Cedarwood has a very rich, woody aroma. I find it a little sweet, too. A perfect addition to your sleepy-time oils, cedarwood is known to have natural sedative properties.
Orange is bright and citrusy. It can definitely be useful for uplifting your moods and giving you some good energy, but when its married with other oils, it’s perfect for calming stress.
Frankincense is one of my favorite oils for many reasons. It has wonderful skin healing abilities, and its well-known for promoting relaxation. Frankincense is one of the ancient oils, and it is distilled from the extracted resin of the Boswellia tree. The result is an oil that’s woody, earthy, and slightly spicy.
Clary Sage is another oil that has calming benefits. It’s often described as “soft and velvety” by perfumers, but I find if a bit strong and almost like baby powder. I’ve read that it works wonders for sleep when a drop of two is applied right to your pillow. But I think I’ll stick to using Clary Sage in blends for now.
Vetiver is a thick essential oil, and has a strong, woody, smoky scent. Many oil sleep blends feature vetiver. In a pinch, cedarwood can be used as a replacement.
An easy way to apply essential oils to aid in your sleep is to dilute them in a roller bottle.
Most adults’ skin can handle a 5 % dilution, meaning a total of 10 drops for a 10 ml roller bottle. To make your own roller bottle blends, add your oils to the bottle first, then fill with your favorite carrier oil, like jojoba or sweet almond oil. Let the bottle sit for a day so all the oils get nice and mingled together.
Once your blend has mixed, apply the oil behind your ears and on the back of your throat. Massaging your oils to the bottoms of your feet can work wonders, too!
Here are some of my favorite roller bottle recipes –
5 drops Lavender + 5 drops Frankincense
5 drops Lavender + 5 drops Vetiver
3 drops Lavender + 3 drops Cedarwood + 2 drops Vetiver + 2 drops Orange
4 drops Lavender + 4 drops Chamomile + 2 drops Clary Sage
Once you get comfortable mixing essential oils, you can make your own blends too. I’ve found the info Aroma Tools is sharing to be really helpful in figuring out what oils work together.
Disclaimer : As a reminder, many essential oils are not for children. You should always use essential oils as they are intended and with a carrier oil. If you’re struggling with sleep, see a doctor for sleep consultation help. This post is not intended to replace doctors advice. I’m just sharing what works for me!
If you’re using essential oils to help with your sleep, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you! Leave a comment below if you have a favorite blend!
