Best Essential Oils for Sleep
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These are the best essential oils to help you sleep at night.
I take my sleep very seriously. I'm not a good mom or a good person to be around if I don't get enough sleep. And if I don't sleep well for more than two nights? Just leave me alone. Trust me, it's best for everyone involved for me to left alone.
There is no amount of coffee that will help when I get less than 6 hours of sleep.
Two of my kids are insomniacs. They can't fall asleep at night, even with melatonin, and then they want to sleep the day away. Even though we homeschool, we can't be starting our day at noon!
So I'm turning to the best essential oils for sleep. I'm sure you'll recognize a few on this list (ahem, lavender), but there might be some ones that are new to you that you may want to try.
BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR SLEEP
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LAVENDER
It's no surprise that lavender essential oil
is at the top of my list. It's known to be relaxing and help calm your mind. Lavender has been proven to increase sleep in nursing home patients when used in aromatherapy.The effects of lavender are usually short lived and may only last about 20 minutes. If you have trouble falling asleep but can stay asleep, lavender just might help.
YLANG YLANG
Ylang ylang
is said to restore peace in your body and mind. It's best to diffuse it for about half an hour before you to bed to relax and diffuse it through the night.
FRANKINCENSE
Frankincense
is said to help balance your emotions. This can lead to being able to fall asleep faster and sleep better.VETIVER
Vetiver
is one of my favorite essential oils for sleep. It's an earthy scent that helps stabilize your mood and calm you.MARJORAM
Marjoram
is known as a joyful or happy essential oil. It's soothing and relaxes your mind, so you can fall asleep easier.CHAMOMILE
Just like chamomile tea is calming, so is chamomile essential oil
is also calming. It's help ease anxiety and makes you more restful.CEDARWOOD
Cedarwood
is a great all purpose essential oil, and it's generally inexpensive. It can help support your pineal gland. The pineal gland is what releases your body's natural melatonin, the hormone that makes you fall asleep.BERGAMOT
Bergamot
is a citrus oil, but it's not stimulating like other citrus essential oils. It can calm you down, which can help with sleep.BEST ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS FOR SLEEP
- 3 drops cedarwood, 3 drops lavender
- 3 drops lavender, 3 drops bergamot
- 3 drops sweet orange essential oil, 3 drops lavender
- 2 drops marjoram, 2 drops lavender, 2 drops vetiver
- 2 drops frankincense, 2 drops chamomile, 2 drops bergamot
- 2 drops lavender, 2 drops vetiver, 2 drops frankincense
- 3 drops vetiver, 3 drops lavender
I also use a Sweet Dreams custom blend from Crafty Bubbles. It has:
- Lavender
- German blue chamomile
- Orange
- Amyris
- Frankensence
- Ylang ylang
- Lemongrass
- Geranium
- Cedarwood
Simpy Earth has several blends that I like to use for before bedtime.
- Tranquility promotes calmness. It's a good blend if you are anxious.
- Sleepy is kid safe for kids over 2. It calms the body and the mind.
- Sweet Dreams is also kid safe. It helps calm and relax.
HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS FOR SLEEP
Essential oils can be used both topically and through aromatherapy.
AROMATHERAPY
This is my preferred way to use essential oils for sleep or really any other ailment unless I don't want anyone else to get the effects of the oil. I diffuse the oils in my diffuser
by adding a few drops of the oil. I have a special timer 
that I use so it shuts off in the middle of the night after I fall asleep.READ The Best Essential Oil Diffuser and How to Use It
You can also use an essential oil inhaler
before you go to bed. If I do that, I use it about half an hour before I go to sleep.
TOPICALLY
Essential oils can also be applied directly to your skin, but you have to dilute them first. I use a solid carrier oil stick or a roller bottle to apply it.
If you are using a liquid carrier oil, use 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and mix with 1-3 drops of essential oil.
READ List of Carrier Oils and Their Benefits
MISTING SPRAY
You can also make a misting spray that you can spray in your room when you go to bed. I like this because I can just keep the bottle beside my bed and with a quick spritz I'm done.
To make it, add one tablespoon of isopropyl alcohol to a 4 ounce bottle of water. Add up to 20 drops of essential oils listed above or a blend and fill with distilled water. Shake well before each use.
OTHER RECIPES
You can also use one of these essential oils or a blend in place of the essential oils in the following recipes:
Solid Essential Oil Stick
Natural Vapor Rub Recipe
Pain Relief Bath Salts
Solid Lotion Bars in Your Instant Pot (add 15 drops of oils)
Homemade Lotion
OTHER TIPS TO HELP YOU SLEEP
Even if you use the best essential oils for sleep, you still need to develop healthy sleeping habits. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. This one is hard for me because I have to get up early Tuesdays and Thursdays and like to sleep in on Fridays and Saturdays. I feel a lot better if I go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day though.Limit your caffeine. I used to be horrible about getting a coffee in the late afternoon, but it would keep me up until the wee hours of the morning. Now I don't drink coffee after 2 pm or drink decaf like my homemade powdered toffee coffee recipe.
WHERE TO BUY ESSENTIAL OILS
I buy all of my essential oils from Crafty Bubbles, and that's what you'll see in my photos and recipes. Their oils are at an unbeatable price and high quality.
They have the largest selection in the catalog on their site, but you can also find some on Amazon.
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