Getting enough sleep is essential for our physical and mental health. Despite popular belief, the amount of sleep needed for optimal health doesn’t decrease as we age. While our circumstances can make it difficult to get high quality rest, sleeping soundly throughout the night is important to keep our brains healthy and prevent disease.

Yoga, meditation, warm baths, reading, and diffusing essential oils are all great habits to implement into your nightly routine. Having a nightly routine is beneficial to wind our bodies and brains down in the evenings, priming them for rest.

While it may come as no surprise that essential oils contain a variety of health benefits, their use as a sleep aid is often overlooked. 

Aromatherapy has been shown to reduce anxiety and aid in relaxation in patients struggling with sleep. If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep, or tossing and turning during sleep, keep reading to find out whether you should incorporate essential oils into your night time routine!

Lavender being the most well known, oils such as bergamot and clary sage also have relaxing properties. These plants have sedative qualities and will decrease cortisol levels, making them the perfect options for evening aromatherapy. 

Chamomile is a popular plant used often in teas, but also has benefits when used in its oil form. Studies have suggested the sedative qualities associated with chamomile are due to the binding of apigenin to benzodiazepine receptors. 

Additional essential oils you can try adding, whether it be for their relaxing properties or aroma alone, include valerian, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and frankincense. 

Studies published on PubMed and the National Library of Medicine show positive results when essential oils are inhaled before sleep.  

One study conducted on intensive care unit patients investigated the effects of lavender essential oil on sleep and anxiety levels. 60 patients in the coronary ICU inhaled 2% lavender essential oil for 15 days before bed, where their sleep quality and anxiety levels were measured. Lab results indicate that lavender essential oil does help improve quality of sleep. 

For those who work graveyard shifts, essential oil inhalation before bed also has shown to lead to a higher quality of sleep. In another study, nurses were tested after night shifts to see how aromatherapy affected their quality of sleep. They were asked to inhale an essential oil for 3 minutes, and to sleep with an aroma stone near their head while they slept. Results show that inhaling essential oils did in fact improve their quality of sleep, which is great news for those on shift work!

Whether you find yourself sleeping sporadically throughout the night, struggling to fall asleep due to stress, or lacking in a reliable evening routine, the incorporation of essential oils will have positive effects on your sleep quality. 

Let me know which essential oils are your favourite, and which ones you’re considering utilizing before bed!