Sniff Your Way to Better Sleep with Natural, Healthy Aromatherapy

Who doesn’t love a deliciously aromatic bedroom?

Between work, family and friends, life can be pretty chaotic, which makes it hard to relax and unwind at the end of the day. With all of these demands, it can be hard to turn off your brain and fall asleep at the end of the day. We know we’re not telling you anything new – yet!

Imagine curling up in bed and inhaling the soothing scent of lavender or slipping into a warm, chamomile scented bath at the end of a long day. Can you say ahhhhh… Aromatherapy methods like these can help you relax your mind and body and make it easier to drift off into dreamland – a beautiful bedroom spa. Ready to learn how to create your own personal sleep scented bedroom?

Your perfect bedroom/sleep scent

While chamomile, jasmine and vanilla can help soothe your senses before bed, lavender is the most popular – and most powerful – scent in sleep aromatherapy. A study at Wesleyan University by Dr. Namni Goel suggested a scientific basis to lavender’s medicinal properties. The study showed that after smelling lavender essential oil before bed, participants experienced an increased amount of time spent in slow-wave sleep, the restful and restorative sleep phase.

But how do you choose (and then use) your best sleep scent? After all, the nose knows what the nose likes. Once you’ve determined whether you’re a chamomile or lavender person, the next step is incorporating the scent into your nightly bedtime routine. We suggest a warm bath with lavender oil, spritzing vanilla scented linen spray on your bedding or adding a drop of scented oil to a cotton ball or tissue and placing it near your pillow at bedtime can help you to unwind and doze off to sleep. If this kind of bedtime routine sounds luxuriously pampering, it is!

But what about an equally beautiful wake-up scent?

Just as lavender and jasmine can help to soothe and relax you, citrus and cinnamon can be used to reduce mental fatigue, increase energy and provide an invigorating boost. Using these scents can be a great way to give yourself an extra boost in the morning when waking up or when that 2 pm lag sets in during the afternoon. Once more, these natural invigorators will help you avoid the caffeine jolt and drop-off of coffee.

Whether you’re scenting your bedroom at night or in the morning, a diffuser is an effective way to release essential oils into the atmosphere (ranging in price from $25 to $200) but you can also drip oil into a bowl of steaming hot water for a less expensive solution. If you want to practice aromatherapy in your car or at work, simply drop oil onto a cotton ball, put it under your nose, and inhale normally for one to two minutes.

If you’re thinking of trying aromatherapy, check out our favorite scents:

• Lavender is the rest and digest scent but it’s also been used to help curb depression, anxiety, insomnia and migraine pain. Lightly spritz your pillowcase before bed each night.
• Orange & Lemon reduce anxiety while improving a positive, calm outlook. Drop essential orange or lemon oil into your diffuser (or a bowl of steamy water) while you’re getting ready for work in the morning. Talk about an attitude adjustment.
• Peppermint helps decrease cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and reduces fatigue. As a bonus, it’s also been shown to reduce chocolate cravings. Peppermint tea mid-afternoon can be a better pick-me-up than a cup of coffee, which may interfere with your sleep.
• Rosemary enhances brain power, improving speed and accuracy during demanding mental tasks. Research shows that it also boosts energy and reduces fatigue. Buy a rosemary plant for your windowsill at work so you can pluck and sniff as needed.
• Sage perks up memory and attention but it’s also been shown to reduce blood pressure in medical studies. It’s a popular cooking herb, so buy a few sprigs and hang them in your kitchen to help keep you calm during that crazy hour before dinner.
• Chamomile is soothing and has been used as a mild, relaxing sleep aid to help treat insomnia for centuries. Add a drop or two of chamomile oil to a cotton ball and place it near your pillow on the mattress.
• Jasmine can calm and relax the mind (but it’s also been known to help boost energy. Jasmine tea can be helpful in relieving stress and anxiety. A compress using jasmine flowers can be used to help with headaches.
• Bergamot enhances relaxation, boosts mental acuity and helps prevent illness. Use it in tea to help sooth an upset stomach and help relax your body before sleep.
• Rose, when applied to the skin, can be a healing tonic and mood-elevating supplement.

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

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