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How are you sleeping these days? Have you considered using Essential Oils for Sleep? 

Our modern fast-paced world has long had an impact on our ability to get a good night’s sleep. But it seems that recent months have made it even harder for many people to sleep well.

Sleeping well is important for our health on many levels – body, mind and spirit.  We need good quality sleep to boost our immune system to be able to fit off illness, as well as for our emotional and mental health. Sleep allows our body and mind to rest and repair, process the events of the day and enable us to be able to deal with day to day stresses.

When we struggle with sleep, everything gets harder.  It’s harder to concentrate, harder to think straight and you are more likely to get sick.  New parents will know all too well how lack of sleep can impact your ability to function!  But shift workers or those with irregular working or sleep times can also suffer from the effects of sleep deprivation.

Sleep problems can manifest in different ways, including being unable to get to sleep, waking frequently during the night (with or without the ability to get back to sleep) or poor-quality sleep through the night.  You may be physically tired, but unable to switch off mentally. Or mentally tired but unable to relax because you have not been sufficiently physically active during the day.

No matter what issue a client comes to me to discuss, it is notable how often sleep suffers alongside whatever other issues they may present with.  So, it is also very common to find that addressing sleep issues is an important part of the treatment.  After all, if you are not sleeping well, everything else is just that bit harder to deal with. Get the sleep sorted and other things can sometimes just fall into place. It is not a universal panacea – but it helps so much in many cases.

There are a number of things that you can do to improve your ability to get a good night’s sleep, and essential oils can be an important and very helpful part of that.

Here are some things that you can try –

• Establish a night-time routine.  We set up great routines for sleep for babies and young children to teach them to sleep well. But as adults we often forget how helpful a routine can be.
• Set yourself a regular bedtime. The specific time is less important than having a regular time every night.  Consider what time you usually need to wake up and work backwards to find a time that will enable you to get sufficient sleep.  Try not to deviate from this too much – even on weekends when it can be tempting to sleep in.
• Start thinking about and getting ready for bed at least 30 minutes to an hour before you go to bed. Don’t leave it until the last minute – you need time to wind down!
• Switch off the TV and any electronic devices. Try to keep these out of the bedroom altogether if possible.
• Have a warm drink – avoid alcohol and anything with caffeine in it. Try a warm milk drink or herbal tea.
• A small snack can be helpful, but avoid heavy meals close to bedtime.
• A warm bath or shower can help you feel more relaxed. (Add some essential oils to enhance the effect – don’t forget to mix your essential oils into a dispersant before adding them to the bath.)
• Make sure your bedroom is tidy (no distractions!) and not too warm or cold.
• Don’t watch TV in bed or browse social media. (See above re devices)
• Do read a book if you want to.
• Consider some self-massage – try your neck and shoulders if you hold tension there.  Or even massage your hands and/or feet. Use a massage oil with relaxing essential oils to further enhance the effect.
• Use a diffuser or vaporiser in the room with some relaxing essential oils.  You don’t need to keep the unit going all night.  I often suggest turning it on for just an hour before you put out the light.  Remember the essential oils will remain in the air in the room for quite some time after the unit is switched off.
• Alternatively, a little trick I use is to put a couple of drops of your chosen oil on a tissue and popping this into your pillowcase.  You can also take a few deep breaths from the tissue before you tuck it away for an extra boost.  I prefer this to putting essential oils directly on the pillow as it can be hard to wash out the old oil, or to switch to another oil if you want to.  If you wake during the night, pull out your tissue and take a few more deep breaths to help ease you back to sleep.