Getting A Good Night’s Sleep With Aromatherapy

Essential oils have an amazing array of scientifically validated therapeutic actions, from antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer, to anti-anxiety and anti-depressant. Now, a significant number of published studies have indicated that essential oils can actually support sleep — offering deeper rest, and more of it. Here’s a look at the oils most commonly used for sleep support, the way to make use of them, and help in selecting the best oils and techniques for you and your loved ones.

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.

Lavender is exceptionally safe, and appreciated by the largest segment of the population of any of the oils mentioned in this article. It can be used (and is enjoyed by) the very young and the very old — at the same time, it’s important to note that it will not work for absolutely everyone. There are individuals whom do not like its flowery scent, and when someone finds an aroma unpleasant, it’s probably not going to help them rest! For these folks, experimentation with other oils is a must.

Lavender is even safe and effective for use with infants. One study includes a very clear result in its title: “Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants”. Adding just a drop or two to bathwater is a simple way to reproduce these effects. The study noted the mothers were more relaxed as well, and concluded by stating: “These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma”.

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 oil of the sandalwood tree, one of history’s most popular aromatics, has also been the subject of sleep research. Subjects who were otherwise sleep-disturbed spend less time awake, and more time in dream sleep after inhaling sandalwood essential oil’s aroma. Interestingly, like the combined research of lavender indicates, the effect was not due to the aromatic sense of the oil, but to the action of the oil within the bloodstream once inhaled. This leads to the conclusion that oils should work just as effectively when topically applied (where the oils pass through the skin and into the bloodstream) as when inhaled. Certainly both options are worth trying to see which works best.

Other key essential oils that have traditionally used for sleep enhancement are vetiver, valerian, and Roman chamomile. Vetiver and valerian have fairly pungent aromas, that are loved by a few individuals, and rated from “interesting” to “offensive” by others — yet they seem very effective for those who enjoy their scents. Roman chamomile is a more popular oil for rest, particularly with children. Like lavender, it is also considered very safe, though its aroma is somewhat more “herbaceous”. This is a great one to sample, trying a little bit by itself or blending with a larger amount of lavender for a synergistic effect.

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.

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 has made available reports on specific oils such as patchouli oil and other pure essential oils.