Top 9 Essential Oils for Bedtime – The Sleep Benefits of Essential Oils

It seems that there is an essential oil for just about everything these days. You can find an essential oils blend that can help you feel awake, clear your mind, set a romantic mood, make your home feel clean and so much more. Today we are going to look into all the ways you can use essential oils in order to help you get to sleep. There are many essential oils that have aromatherapy benefits for soothing and relaxing, making them ideal for using before bed. Stick around for tips on how to use them, as well as different essential oils work well for encouraging deep and restful sleep.

How Can Essential Oils Help You Sleep?

Well, you may be surprised at how powerful scent can be. Our minds use scent as an indicating tool. We use scent to identify and categorize our lives and experiences. Everyone has scent memories, perhaps it is a place or person when you smell this particular scent it can make you feel a certain way. Perhaps the perfume of someone you loved that is no longer around, or the smell of crayons and playdough makes you think of your childhood.

You can use this as a tool to inform your mind where you are and what it is time to do. For instance, if you always where the same scent in the mornings before you go to work, it can help put you in the mindset for work. While if you smell the same smell at night before bed, it sends signals to your brain that you are in a safe place and it is time to go to sleep. This can help to make you feel calm, relaxed, and ready to sleep.

Essential Oils For Insomnia

It can feel impossible getting to sleep when you struggle with insomnia. You may also have trouble staying away throughout the day when it is time to be alert and awake. First things first, you should talk to a doctor to see what is causing your insomnia. Then you can use essential oils to set the tone for when you should be asleep and for when you should be relaxed and sleeping.

Chamomile, Valerian, and Lavender are all great options for when you are wanting to drift off to sleep. While citrus and mint can be great rejuvenating essential oils for when you want to be alert and attentive.

Why do we need sleep anyway? We answer this questions and many more in The Importance Of Sleep, click the link to find out why we need sleep to survive.

Essential Oils For Snoring

Snoring is often caused by blocked airways that rumble together. Anything that can help to keep your airways clear, could potentially be helpful with limiting your snoring. If you are wanting to keep your sinuses clear, we recommend trying essential oils like peppermint and eucalyptus.

Both of these essential oils help to lower inflammation and create cooling sensations. This could potentially aid in clearer breathing as you sleep.

Struggle with snoring? Check out our post: Snoring Causes & Cures

How To Use Essential Oils For Sleep:

Essential Oil Diffusers:

Hands down, an essential oil diffuser is personally, our favorite way to use essential oils. It gently scents the air in whatever room you put it in. No topically application needed and it works as a wonderful room freshener as well.

There are even some humidifiers that has options for adding essential oils to them now. This is ideal for the winter months when you are blasting the heaters and the air gets dry.

If you like the diffuser in the picture, get yours for only $22.99 at Amazon.com.

Topical Application:

Just like any time you use any product, be sure to check and make sure it is intended for topical use.

We also recommend patch testing to avoid any allergies. That all being said, there are many essential oils that can be wonderful when used topically. Think of this as a perfume oil that you can put on your pulse points for best results.

There are also bath and body products that use essential oils to scent their products. These can be a great way to use essential oils in your every day routine.

Whether it is in the shower, lotion, bath, or any other scented products you like to use.

 

If you are looking for a topical essential oil blend, we love this duo you can find on Amazon.

Bath & Body Products:

The bath and body industry has really caught on to using essential oils as a way to insert aromatherapy into their products. You can find essential oils scenting all of your body products from shampoo to hand lotion.

There are even products that are intended to be used to calm and relax you before bed. These products are often scented with chamomile and lavender as these are the most commonly thought of essential oils for great sleep. Bath and body products can be a fun way to use essential oils in your daily routine.

Click the link to learn how to use scent to get better sleep: Best Fragrance & Scents For The Bedroom

Air & Linen Sprays:

Another great was to use essential oils in order to help induce sleep is by scenting your bed. Air and linen sprays can refresh your bedding and create a soothing scent for your bedroom. This can be a very relaxing way to experience scent as you are climbing into bed.

We have even created our very own linen spray using essential oils and it made for a beautiful scent. We love having a fresh and relaxing smelling bed to climb into at night. It truly helps to set the mood for a deep and restful sleep.

Get my favorite room, pillow and linen spray, Eunoia Naturals RELAX Lavender & Chamomile Aromatherapy Mist at Amazon.com.

Essential Oils Bath:

A nice hot bath is an incredible way to experience essential oils, especially before bed. A bath in and of itself is a calming experience. When you add in aromatherapy from essential oils it becomes an incredibly relaxing experience. You can do this by either adding essential oils straight into your bath water. However, we prefer to use bath salts, oils, and bath bombs that utilize essential oils to scent their products. It is easier to ensure you are using an amount of the oils that has been tested for safety to use in a bath setting.

One reason a bath is such a great way to experience essential oils is because the warm bath creates gorgeous steam that brings out the scents of essential oils. This way you smell them in a peaceful and intensified manor. Baths are also a great routine before bed because they do such a great job at lowering blood pressure and heartrate.

What to Look For When Buying Essential Oils?

Not all essential oils are created equally. There are even a lot of brands that create “fragrance oils” that are made with synthetic materials that can often cause irritation and are not made for topical use. While they may smell nice, they do not often work in the same ways or have the same benefits that essential oils can have.

We recommend looking for two main phrases when shopping for essential oils… “Organic” and “Therapeutic Grade”. Most of the higher quality essential oils brands will feature one or both of these. The best brands will have organic certifications as well.

Even after finding high end products, we still recommend doing test patches as even quality products can sometimes trigger allergic reactions.

Where I bought my essential oils:

When I started my essential oil journey I decided to start by getting a kit of oils that offered 18 various 100% pure therapeutic grade oils. This gave a great variety and really allowed me to explore making my a variety of combinations.

It was fun discovering which ones worked the best. The only drawback is that this kit doesn’t have all the oils that are best for sleep, but you can easily fill in the gaps buying other ones individually. I have some of my favorites below!

I also found a diffuser that was affordable, compact and subtle too. And was easy to move to any room I wanted to diffuse in. Easily enough, I found both through Amazon too. For the essential oils I would recommend the Radha Beauty Top 18 Oils and for the diffuser the URPOWER Essential Oil Diffuser is awesome!

Top 9 Essential Oils for Bedtime

1) Lavender:

Truly the Queen of all sleepy time essential oils, nothing quite compares with the soothing scent of Lavender.

Pick up any scented product that is designed for sleep and we would place our bets on it having a scent with lavender in the mix. (With chamomile flowing closely behind.) It is for a good reason as well. Lavender does have a naturally relaxing scent.

Lavender is thought to calm your nervous system, lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, and even lower body temperature. All of which are ideal when you are wanting to relax and drift off to sleep.

If you struggle to get to sleep at night, lavender is a great addition to your essential oils collection.

Start your essential oil journey and shop for your certified organic Lavender oil at Amazon.com.

2) Chamomile: 

Truly one of the top used scents for relaxation. It is ideal to use in any bed time scent. It is gentle and soothing, making it ideal to use for anyone wanting to be whisked off to dream land.

Chamomile is used quite often for products for children as it is a soft scent that tends to sooth skin as well as the senses. The essential oil is great to use either topically or in a diffuser situation.

You will often find bath and body products scented with a combination of chamomile as it has such a gentle essence and does have benefits of soothing skin too. Making it a great addition to lotions, bath salts, candles, and more.

It is great in tea so why not try it in your diffuser. Buy your Chamomile essential oil at Amazon.com.

3) Valerian:

The valerian root contains something called valerenic acid, which studies have shown to help induce sleep. Which is why Valerian is often used in things like teas and supplements in order to help induce sleep.

For these reasons, lots of herbal sleep aids will utilize valerian. While we do not know if the scents of valerian has the same affects, it is worth a try in our books. It is worth testing out and seeing if it works well for you. If you like click the tea link below to check out some of our favorite teas for sleep.

Does Valerian sound like an ideal essential oil for you? Shop for yours now at Amazon.com.

Valerian is a popular sleep aid in teas, read our Best Tea For Sleep – Top 8 Bedtime Teas to learn more. 

4) Clary Sage:

Clary sage sounds like something straight out of a fairytale. This essential oil has a soft herbaceous in it that pairs well with lavender. It is considered to be a rather soothing and uplifting scent.

Something to be used when you are feeling down in the dumps and want to be gently uplifted. (Unlike citrus options that typically jolt you with electric energy).

This is ideal to use in a sleep or relaxing essential oil blend to add a little bit of something uplifting to sooth your spirits and encourage deep sleep. Great for those struggling with insomnia caused by depression. As it has been noted to have helped ease depression.

Maybe Clary Sage is the scent that will prove to be your favorite? Shop for yours now at Amazon.com.

5) Sweet Marjoram:

This particular essential oil is most commonly used to relieve muscle and joint pain. Making this a great addition to your night use if joint or muscle pains often keep you awake at night.

It also happens to have an affect on relaxing your breathing patterns and a slight sedative effect. The combination does make it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. It is not found in scent blends as it is a much more intense smell. Marjoram is related to oregano and this can be detected in the smell of the essential oil. It is herbaceous, sweet, slightly spicy, and very green.

As you breath in deeply you will find your breathing pattern slows, making it ideal for those who struggle to relax or having anxiety. The slow breathing has an affect on relaxing your entire body. Which is perfect when you are trying to fall asleep.

Start feeling the benefits of the organic and therapeutic grade power of Marjoram essential oil with this one on Amazon.com.

6) Bergamot:

A personal favorite, bergamot is technically a citrus. We do not normally recommend a citrus scent for drifting off to sleep. However, bergamot is a special essential oil. It is often recognized in Earl Grey tea. However, it is believed to help ease depression as well as induce sleep, reduce heart rate, and lower blood pressure. All of which are perfect when you are wanting to get to sleep.

If you are feeling overly stressed, or overwhelmed bergamot is a soothing scent that truly feels like a balm to your spirit. While the scent is citrusy, it is relaxing and much more gentle than other more pungent energizing citrus scents like lemon, orange, and lime. We love to use bergamot either in a blend but it also works just as well on it’s own.

Buy my personal favorite essential oil fragrance, Bergamot through Amazon.com.

7) Ylang Ylang:

Often used in perfume, ylang ylang is a stunning yellow floral scent. It pairs stunningly with other calming floral essential oils like lavender, chamomile.

This is a gorgeous scent that works well in blends. Ylang ylang is another great option for anyone wanting to be soothed. It does a great job at lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

Ideal for anyone wanting to shut off the stress and anxiety from the day and focus on relaxing their mind and body. Ylang ylang is often a more expensive essential oil. We recommend trying before you buy to ensure you appreciate the scent of it first. We also suggest using it blended in order to have it last as long as possible.

Drift off to dream with the soothing scent of Ylang Ylang. Quickly get yours through Amazon.com.

8) Sandalwood:

This is another ever so popular scent in perfume of late. It is a dreamy woody scent that works well in both masculine leaning as well as feminine fragrances.

More importantly for our purposes, sandalwood is a dreamy scent that gives a sensation of feeling calm and grounded. The calming essence of sandalwood is a lovely addition to any sleepy time blend.

If you would appreciate the grounding scent of Sandalwood than add this to your essential oil blend. Get it today at Amazon.com.

9) Cedarwood:

Another woody scent that creates a sensation of being grounded and secure. Cedarwood is an ideal base to any scent blend you use to evoke sleep.

It pairs rather well with most lighter essential oils from the floral variety and even the more citrus notes like bergamot. Similar to bergamot, cedarwood is often used to lift spirits and lighten the mental worry and load of the day. It is believed that cedarwood essential oils also have a slight sedative effect. Ideal for when you are wanting to go to sleep.

If you want a grounded fragrance that is more affordable check out this Cedarwood oil at Amazon.com.

Just looking to make your room smell amazing? Then visit our page Best Bedroom Fragrance & Safe Scents for Bedrooms. You don’t have to use essential oils to make your room smell heavenly.

Essential Oils To Avoid Before Bed:

While there are essential oils that can help you sleep, there are also some that are invigorating. You want to avoid anything that is too stimulating before bed. Essential oils such as lemon, lime, orange, lemongrass, peppermint, vetiver, and eucalyptus just to name a few.

We recommend avoiding this refreshing and stimulating scents anywhere near bed time. They are often energizing and even distracting when you are trying to drift off to sleep. Instead use these during the morning or active times during the day. Perhaps even when cleaning the house or as you work. This way you use their energy for good.

Then you can using the more soothing and relaxing essential oils we mentioned previously at night when it is time to relax.

The Sleep Benefits of Essential Oils Summary: 

Hopefully this is a great introduction to essential oils and how they can help you drift off to sleep naturally. The aromatherapy aspects of essential oils can be very strong and do wonders when it comes to relaxing and preparing for sleep. If it has the potential to help, it has the potential to hurt. Which is why you should always test out any products before committing to either wearing topically or adding to any kind of diffuser. We hope you find essential oils that are high quality and help get your best sleep ever. Remember to look for quality products and make sure they are safe to use as you intend to use them before you put on your body or in a diffuser.

Still have questions about how essential oils for sleep will work for you? We’d be happy to help answer any questions, just Contact Us!

Check out this article if you want general tips for better sleep