Ana Maria Studies show that certain scents have the ability to help you fall asleep faster, as particulars aroma are able to correlate people with childhood memories and awaken a range of physical and mental responses.
So where can you find these scents? Well, most of them are found in essential oils, a popular and natural remedy used by people to relax and soothe the pain.
In fact, essential oil-based aromatherapy is now used by some hospitals as a supplement to traditional medical care to help manage post-operative discomfort after surgery, and in other cases it is used to promote better sleep at night. (Source: Sleep.org)
Essential oils are created by processing the leaves, seeds and roots of every ingredient, and the resulting oil is added to various products, such as candles, lotions and scented bags.
There is a huge variety of scents, including tea tree, lavender, lemon, rosemary, peppermint, sandalwood, vanilla and jasmine. Essential oils are most commonly used in the practice of aromatherapy, in which they are inhaled through various methods. Essential oils are not meant to be swallowed. They are usually used in an aroma diffuser, but can work just as well by placing a few drops on a pillow or bed sheets.
Each essential oil has multiple benefits for improving sleep quality, such as stabilizing blood pressure, reducing anxiety and even helping with depression.
Furthermore, while one essential oil can benefit sleep, a combination of several oils can be even more effective at improving your overall sleep quality.
Examples of a few essential oils and their benefits:
– Peppermint : boosts energy and helps digestion
– Lavender: relieves stress
– Tea tree: boost immunity, fights infections
– Vanilla: reduces anxiety, stabilizes blood pressure, and improves overall sleep quality
– Sandalwood: improves concentration and calms nerves
– Orange: brings peace and optimism
– Ocean: reduces stress
– Green tea: anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties
– Lily: relaxing and soothing properties, helps promote a peaceful and restful sleep
– Bergamot: reduces stress, improves skin conditions such as eczema
– Jasmine: reduces anxiety, stabilizes blood pressure, helps with depression
– Rose: reduces anxiety, has mood-enhancing effects
– Lemon: helps digestion, improves mood and headaches
– Ylang-ylang: improves skin conditions and headaches
– Chamomile: helps relax and has mood-enhancing effects
– Clary sage + lavender + marjoram: effective at improving sleep quality
References
Sleep.org By The National Sleep Foundation – Do Essential Oils Promote Good Sleep?
Healthline.com – What Are Essential Oils, and Do They Work?
