12 Essential Oils that Help Women Sleep Better

Anyone who has ever experienced insomnia will tell you that there is no substitute for a good night’s sleep. With all of the stresses of modern life, sleep can be difficult to come by. When things aren’t going well—whether your blood pressure is high, there are problems at work, or even at home—the body reacts by struggling to relax. Now if you are a woman who is going through any hormonal changes, your insomnia can be amplified by forces that are beyond your conscious control.

The good news is that natural methods can frequently help improve sleep. Certain essential oils, when used correctly and in the right proportions, can put you right to sleep!

A few drops is usually all that is required, and methods of administration include using air diffusers, steam from pots of boiling water, or simply massaging directly into the skin. Read on for the best essential oils for getting your forty winks and more!

1. Marjoram Essential Oil

Many essential oils will help you fall asleep, but marjoram oil will keep you asleep. The sweet fragrance can be relied on to calm you both physically and mentally, as well as to induce the kind of deep, peaceful sleep that allows you to truly heal and recharge. When it comes to marjoram as a sleep aid, the sweeter the better.

2. Chamomile Essential Oil

Chamomile oil’s calming effects and sleep-inducing properties are more general than specific. The direct effects of this oil on the body’s rhythms and temperature are minimal, but the subtle floral aroma has a calming and relaxing effect on the mind when diffused in the air. With its fresh, apple-tinged fragrance, Roman chamomile is ideal for relieving anxiety.

3. Clary Sage Essential Oil

Clary sage oil is essential for those suffering from depression. Clary sage oil, unlike regular sage, excels at combating the sort of dark thoughts that frequently plague people as the day gives way to night, and will soothe your troubled mind enough to nudge you over those obstacles into a deep, restful slumber.

4. Vetiver Essential Oil

Vetiver oil is used for its sheer effect rather than for its pleasant aroma. With its deep, earthy scent, vetiver oil isn’t for everyone, but the results are hard to argue with. If you can’t seem to get your mind off the events of the day and into a relaxed state, vetiver oil is probably what you need. Diffuse into the air before going to bed, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly your worries will fade.

5. Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood oil is both fragrant and expensive, but as with many other things, you get what you pay for! Few oils are as effective at promoting deep sleep as sandalwood, owing to its mood-balancing properties. While other oils may slow your heart rate or chase away troubling thoughts, sandalwood oil is unique in that it emotionally balances you out. Always keep some on hand for when you need to rest and unwind, and always include at least a little sandalwood as an ingredient in sleep blends.

6. Cedarwood Essential Oil

With a similar woodsy aroma to sandalwood essential oil, cedarwood oil is a less expensive—though slightly less effective—alternative to reduce stress and anxiety. Apply topically for best results, or blend with chamomile and diffuse in your bedroom air.

7. Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender oil is well-known for its versatility of benefits, but it also excels at assisting with sleep. Numerous studies have shown that inhaling lavender oil can help keep insomnia at bay. This is due, in large part, to the other benefits lavender oil provides, which include lowering heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure, all of which, coincidentally, mirror the stages the body goes through when falling asleep. Lavender oil is also known to reduce anxiety, which is essential for relaxing at the end of a long day filled with a variety of challenges.

8. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Although not as effective as lavender oil as a sleep aid, ylang ylang isn’t far behind. Ylang ylang is an extract from tropical trees in Asia that, like lavender oil, lowers blood pressure and heart rate and naturally prepares the body for sleep. When inhaled, the oil emits a very fruity and pleasing scent, which is calming in its own right.

9. Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot oil has something for everyone, including those who suffer from insomnia. Bergamot oil, like lavender and ylang ylang oil, is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It also lowers blood pressure and heart rate and prepares the body for sleep. However, bergamot oil has been shown to reduce stressful thoughts, which are a common barrier to good sleep. Put a few drops in a steaming pot of water and breathe deeply; sleep will come quickly!

10. Peppermint Essential Oil

Although not a traditional sleep aid, peppermint oil is excellent for promoting restfulness by clearing your mind, both metaphorically and literally. The pleasant aroma of peppermint oil can be relaxing, but more importantly, if you suffer from seasonal allergies or dust sensitivity, nothing will relieve your symptoms better or faster than diffusing peppermint oil in your bedroom air. When you finally find relief for your achy nasal passages, the transition to relaxation and then sleep is abrupt and satisfying.

11. Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil, like peppermint oil, has a naturally relaxing aroma as well as powerful sinus-clearing properties. If you have trouble sleeping because of excessive phlegm production, eucalyptus oil has the dual benefit of relaxing you while also relieving your congestion, allowing you to get a good night’s sleep.

 

12. Valerian Essential Oil

Last but not least is valerian oil, which is well known for its overall calming effect. Valerian is used in many nighttime teas for precisely this reason. Valerian oil, like marjoram, will ensure that you not only sleep but sleep well.

Staring at the ceiling each night may be a thing of the past once you find the right oil (or oils!) for you!

Want to learn more about the healing properties of essential oils? Now you can join us on your own aromatherapy workshop as an option on a Goddess Retreat “Follow Your Bliss Day’ activity

AROMATHERAPY WORKSHOP  

Enjoy this space to explore your emotions and creativity as you create your own unique healing blend with crystal roller to take home.

Visit a healing aromatherapy workshop and learn from a qualified aromatherapist how to make unique aromatic combinations with essential oils and crystals that can awaken the goddess in your and touch your soul. More than simply perfume, aromatherapy has powerful benefits by regulating our nervous system to:

  • Improve sleep
  • Boost feelings of relaxation and peace
  • Ease feelings stress, anxiety, and depression.
  • Ease certain types of pain such as arthritis

 

*The information in this article and blog should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your practitioner before incorporating essential oils into your treatment plan.

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