Insomnia
is a problem for many people. Not getting enough sleep makes it harder
to perform your daily activities, both mental and physical. It also
weakens your immune system. There are many great tips and articles for
improving sleep patterns (here's one I like), but sometimes it's not enough and people need a little extra help. Sleep Aromatherapy, using particular essential oils can give you a little extra help getting to sleep naturally without chemical drugs.
Create a Relaxing, Aromatherapy Sleep Ritual
To
make the best use of aromatherapy methods, create a customized,
anxiety-reducing relaxation ritual for yourself in the 1-2 hours leading
up to bed time. A good friend of mine was having trouble sleeping due
to stress and anxiety. She developed the following routine and now
sleeps like a baby and even looks forward to bedtime. She starts by
taking a relaxing aromatherapy bath or shower, lighting a candle or
running her aromatherapy diffuser
in the bathroom while she bathes. When she gets out, she writes down
her worries in a journal and lets her mind rest knowing that she can
handle them in the morning. She then sprays a heated shoulder wrap with lavender aroma mist then reads until she falls asleep.

Essential Oils that Help You Sleep
Lavender oil, chamomile roman oil, ylang ylang oil, marjoram oil, and clary sage oil all have sleep-inducing qualities. They can be used on their own or you can mix these essential oils to create your own sleep-inducing essential oil blend.
You can also try Escents' own Sleep, Rest and Night Time Blends.
Sleep
with Chamomile and Ylang Ylang is a classic blend designed to help you
to relax and get to sleep faster and allows for a deeper, more peaceful
sleep. Chamomile was included in this blend because it has been used for
centuries in teas as a mild, relaxing sleep aid, treatment for fevers,
colds, stomach ailments, and as an anti-inflammatory. Ylang Ylang evokes
calmness and can melt away anxiety, tension and stress.
Night Time
with Chamomile and Lavender, is a new blend designed to help you leave
the day behind and let your worries melt away and help you rest and
sleep. Along with the benefits of Chamomile, Lavender is used in this
blend and is the most versatile essential oil and has been used for
centuries from calming and relaxing the mind. Night Time is great to diffuse when you're reading a book before bed or getting ready to hop between the sheets.
Rest
with Lavender and Rosewood, is also new and can help relieve tension so
you can rest and prepare yourself for sleep. This blend can also be
used throughout the day when you just want to relax and unwind.

4 Ways to Use Aromatherapy to Help You Sleep
1) Aromatherapy Diffusers. Add 5-8 drops of your chosen essential oils or our Sleep essential oil blend to
some water in an ultrasonic diffuser and turn it on when you go to bed.
It will purify and permeate the air in your bedroom with your chosen
oils. Be sure to use one that shuts off automatically like our Ultramist Diffuser you don't have get up and turn it off. Do NOT use a candle diffuser. Candles should never be left unattended.

2) Essential Oil Mists. Add 40 drops of essential oils to an unscented mist. You can also our Lavender Aroma Mist or our Sleep Aroma Mist. Lightly spray the mist on bed linens before getting into bed to go to sleep.
3) Roll-On Therapy. Add 20 drops to an unscented roll-on or try our Sleep Aromatherapy Roll-On. Apply to wrists and neck before going to sleep.

4) Relaxing Aromatherapy Bath or Shower. Add 10-20 drops of essential oils to 30ml of unscented bath oil or unscented wash & bubble bath.
Draw a nice, warm bath adding the mix to your water. Make sure the
water is not too hot or cold or else it may stimulate you rather than
relax you. Alternatively, you can use our wash & bubble as a body
wash in the shower or try out our new Rest Therapeutic salts or our Night Time bath oil.

Have you found an essential oil blend or aromatherapy ritual that works well against insomnia? Please comment and let me know!
Jacqui MacNeill