Which Essential Oils improve Sleep?

 

Lavender is well known for its relaxing properties.  It is one of my favorite oils.  It helps with burns, acne, bites, etc... and with sleeping!  You can put some on your feet or rub it along your spine. You can either put it on your hands and breath in the vapors or diffuse it.  I do this with my kiddos as well. I don't put oils on their hands though because they may forget and touch their eyes.  E.O. are eye irritants.

 

For those reading that may not be familiar with essential oils, allow me to give a brief explanation.  There are 2 types of oils that a plant produces.  There is the fatty oil found in nuts and seeds and its main purpose is to provide nourishment to help the seed or nut grow into a plant.  The other oil isn't fatty, it is extremely refined and is essentially the blood for the plant, hence "essential" oil.  It is vital for plants survival and can greatly (sometime dramatically) improve our wellbeing as well.  



Gathering is a blend of Lavender, Galbanum, Frankincense Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Spruce, Cinnamon Bark, Rose, and Sandalwood.  From my reading, it is an amplifier for other oils but alone it amplifiers and "gathers" our thoughts, feelings, emotions. Be sure that when you're using it, especially for sleep, that you're focusing on positive thoughts and feelings. 

If you struggle with Restless Leg Syndrome, you can use this with Lavender and it will amplify the relaxation benefits of lavender.  I don't have RLS, so I haven't experimented with it.  If you have RLS, play around with it and see what works for you.  I'd put it on my feet and legs and breath it in.

 

The process to collect the oil from the plants is a very delicate process.  Thy use a cold press or low temperature steam distillation process.  The process needs to be gentle in order to keep the oil in its purest state.  Otherwise, it will be chemically altered and lose its therapeutic/healing abilities. 

Peace & Calming is a blend of Tangerine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli and Blue Tansy.  I will use Peace & Calming whenever I'm stressed, overwhelmed or ready to sleep.  It is wonderful to diffuse or put on your feet or just sniff. I highly recommend this for children when they are throwing fits or you want to help them settle down.
I've put this in their baths if I'm anxious for them to relax. :)

Chemists have studied the chemical structure of essential oils and have discovered that due to the complicated structure, each oil is capable of helping with a wide variety of ailments  I took a class on essential oils a couple years ago and my instructor had his PhD in Chemistry and was a retired Methodist Minister. He described E.O. having the "pure word of God" in them and were able to enter the body and do whatever the body was needing at that time. 

I haven't used Myrtle myself. When I reading up on E.O. that help with sleep, I learned that if your sleep deprivation is hormonally related, this oil will help.   Sounds fantastic!!! I'll have to try this.  I'm sure I have plenty of hormonal imbalances. :)

 

If you're looking into getting oils for yourself, I personally use Young Living Oils because of their long history and outstanding reputation of producing quality oils.  I know friends who use DoTERRA and also have found wonderful results.  Whatever you decide, just do the research to make sure the oils aren't being damaged in the distillation process. They must be therapeutic grade in order to have healing properties. Good luck!

 



Story time: When Audrey was 2, we were in Utah for family reunions.  During the reunions, I was in a 4 day intensive training on Raindrop Therapy with CARE in SLC.  I had purchased some oils for everyday use.  The night before driving back home, Audrey got very sick.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Then I remembered my oils.  So I knelt down and asked Heavenly Father to tell me what to do with these "things".  I had a clear impression which I promptly followed.  I repeated the process throughout the night when she'd wake up again.  Her symptoms improved greatly!  To this day if Audrey isn't feeling well, she specifically asks for the oils.  My other children love them too. They work!!!

 

 

*The oils I've shared on this post are not the only oils that improve sleep.  I just wanted to highlight a few.