For years I've found trouble with going to bed at a decent time. Anxiety would kick while on the couch. Feeling just like there was always much more to do. The anxiousness didn't help my sleeping pattern, nor my productivity during the day. Ultimately what helped was a better diet and diffusing particular essential oils. There are plenty of oils that can help you deal with your sleep in many ways. Oils can promote a peaceful rest, some can calm you prior to bedtime and then there are those that are specifically used for their sleep inducing benefits. First, I'll introduce you to the various groups that make up essential oils.
Learning the groups of essential oils
One key component to learning about essential oils, is first understanding the groups. You'd be going down a rabbit hole organizing oils by their usage, as there are so many ways to use just one oil. With groups we can establish an understanding based on things we've been accustomed to smelling our whole lives. Several groups made up of woody, spicy, herbal, medicinal, earthy, floral, minty, balsamic and citrus. Any one of us could think of something that fits into at least 3 of these groups. Most flowers have a uplifting or soothing effect. While citrus oils are fresh and zingy, may of them also have uplifting characteristics. If you are just starting out with oils I recommend purchasing a few from each group. Later on you'll find out which groups blend well with one another.
When it came to my anxiety, Cedarwood which is used for balancing and uplifting helped me relax so I could unwind. Which is turn knocked me right out. As an essential oil with natural sedative properties, its said cedarwood is emotionally grounding and promotes the feeling of safety and tranquility. Woods have calming, relaxing, stress and tension release benefits. The next time you walk a park trail or just enjoying to outdoors near plenty of trees, close your eyes and smell the air around you. Note how it makes you feel. Though you can surely diffuse just one of the woods to relax prior to bedtime, we will look at all the oils known specifically to affect your sleeping.
Essential oils for sleep and anxiety
Some of the oils used to calm anxiety and promote sleep at night are Lavender, Geranium, Roman Chamomile, Bergamot, Tangerine, Sacred Frankincense, Valerian and Rue. Just as in many other cases, oils that are combined for blends don't always come from the same groups. Lavender is herbal, while frankincense is a spicy/woody. You can always pick one oil then search for others that blend well with your main choice. Clary Sage is also a natural sedative. The smell is that of a soft, sweet and floral profile.
Blends for sleep and anxiety
And just like that, we've created a better sleep blend! I like blending using the fragrance rules of top, middle and bottom notes. Cedarwood would be our base, Clary Sage the middle and Lavender the top note. You'll want to drop between 6-10 drops in your diffuser. Allowing the base to make up 45% of the blend, I do between 25-35% middle and 30-20% of the top note. As your blend sits over time, the oils will start to fuse better. The strong scent of cedarwood you smelt when first blending will calm down. No matter how strong your base note is, I guarantee you will always smell that lavender.
Sleep better
Cedarwood
Clary Sage
Lavender
You could use the same blend for both sleep and anxiety. As I've told you, many blends work for multiple things. In spending a few months with over 45 different oils, I've learned to separate blends for concentrated results.
Anxiety is one of those disorders that one should try hard to get a handle on. In can have a major affect on your relationships and daily productivity. For oils that focus specifically on helping to deal with it, I've looked towards Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang and Bergamot. Two of these oils are included in our Relaax beard oil and clients have reported a more at ease feeling!
Sandalwood has an ancient history of use for relaxation and anxiety. Its use has been known to help with having a peaceful rest. You know the kind of sleep that doesn't have you waking yup at the edge of your bed, wondering how you got there. Ylang Ylang with its floral scent also promotes relaxation. Bergamot improves a person's mood with its invigorating citrus smell. When used topically it can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so be careful about going out after applying to your skin. This blend smells wonderful and gives a much lighter scent then the better sleep recipe.
Anxiety at night
Sandalwood
Ylang Ylang
Bergamot
This is a great starting point into improving two ailments that affect a large majority of folks. As always, it's about understanding the smells that you not only like, but which ones work for your needs. Should enjoy the smell of another oil and would like to know whether it would work with these blends, reach out to us by email for a conversation.