Today I’m sharing the best essential oils for sleep, some different ways to incorporate them into your bedtime routine, and why I’m a fan of using them.
I struggle to switch off when I go to bed at night so I have a few things that I do before I go to bed to help me relax which in turn usually helps me to get off to sleep a bit quicker.
First up, I do use a homemade sleep spray to spray on my pillows as I’m getting ready for bed. I spritz the pillows as I’m putting my pyjamas on so it’s settled ready for when I get into bed. I use a couple of different essential oils for this and do try and switch it up a little bit each time I make a new batch so my brain doesn’t get too used to it.
I also have a bit of a routine where I cleanse and moisturise my face – not because I’ve got a great skincare regime but because the routine of it helps me for some reason. I think it’s like babies settle better when you follow a set routine – bath, PJs, storytime and then bed. My baby routine is sleep spray, PJs, skincare and then into bed with my Kindle. 😂
I also spend a couple of minutes having a quick think about the day ahead. I use my phone to email myself any reminders for the next day either to my work email if it’s work-related or my personal email if it’s anything for me personally. Just doing that clears my mind a little bit so I’m not worrying about remembering things the next day.
I also keep my phone on my bedside cabinet and do the same thing with emailing myself if anything else pops into my head at any point when I’m trying to sleep as I find it more beneficial to send a quick email than to dwell on it in my head.
I’ll read my Kindle for a while until I’m feeling sleepy and then will tell Alexa to play ‘thunderstorm sounds’ which plays gentle rain with thunder in the distance noise which I really think helps relax me. I would have the sounds of waves on the beach as that’s the most relaxing sound I know but the one on Alexa sounds fake to me so I go with the rainstorm sounds instead,
So that’s my wind-down routine and although all of it contributes to helping me to relax enough to drop off to sleep, I do notice a difference if I run out of my sleep spray though so I do try and make sure that I always have some in.
I have a few of the Tisserand oils for no other reason other than when I first started to look into the benefits of essential oils then I found a couple of triple packs in TK Maxx of all places. I bought two of the triple packs and across the two packs, I managed to get a really good starting range. This is one of the ones I bought (aff link):
And it includes two of my favourite sleep spray ingredients. Here are all of the essential oils that I personally find effective for helping me to relax and get to sleep on a night.
1. Lavender Essential Oil
This is definitely at the top of my list of the best essential oils for sleep. It’s well known for having super relaxing and calming effects that will help you to relax and get off to sleep. When I Googled why Levander is so good to help you get off to sleep I found a quote from a Sleep specialist, Richard Jolie:
Rather than directly affecting the quality of sleep itself, research has shown the key effects of herbal fragrances like lavender to help reduce stress levels thereby relaxing people enough for them to sleep much better.
Imagine your job title being ‘Sleep Specialist’ – how cool would that be? 😂
2. Peppermint Essential Oil
This one might be a bit of a controversial one as peppermint is known to be energising and invigorating but I genuinely find that it helps me get off to sleep easier as the initial sprays of this help to clear my head. Then as the scent fades a little, it leaves behind a lovely relaxing aroma.
3. Chamomile Essential Oil
Back to the more traditional bedtime essential oils with this one. Chamomile is known for it’s relaxing properties with it’s suble floral scent. It relaxes your mind and helps to ease anxieties making it easier to wind down and in theory, easier to get to sleep.
4. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Almost (but not quite) on a par with Lavander essential oils as a sleep aid, ylang ylang isn’t too far behind. It’s said to lower blood pressure and heart rate which naturally gets your body ready for sleep. It smells quite fruity and I do love the smell of it when it lingers the following day – sometimes I even spray this one through the day for a refresher of the scent in my bedroom!
5. Marjoram Essential Oil
This is the only essential oil on my list that I haven’t personally tried as I’m not a fan of the scent itself personally but every post I read about the best essential oils for sleep include this Marjoram Essential Oil so I thought I’d include it in case you do want to have a try yourself. Apparently it’s perfect for not only getting you off to sleep but it’s sweet scent soothes you off to sleep and then helps you to achieve that deep sleep that will really leave you feeling refreshed in the morning!
Hopefully this will help your sleep routine as much as it helped mine! 😇
(PS) As always, be careful when using Essential Oils. This post shares a bit of information about what you should know before using essential oils.
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