If you suffer from sleep disorders, the following article will surely interest you! We explain how to sleep better with essential oils: do they really work? How should you use them? Which essential oils can help you get more peaceful nights?
⚠️ Essential oils are particularly powerful substances! Use with caution.
In this article:
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🤔 Essential oils and sleep: how does it work?
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👍 Which essential oils are beneficial for sleep?
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😌 How to properly use essential oils to sleep better
The effects of essential oils on sleep
Let's remember that a good night's sleep is about 10 hours of sleep for a child, around 8 hours for an adult (once again, it really depends on the individual): an uninterrupted night of sleep, with an optimal sequence of sleep cycles, is obviously best!
Quality sleep, which respects your biological rhythm, is essential for good physical and mental health.
Sleep disorders can be, among other things, the cause of memory and concentration issues, but also illnesses such as diabetes, hormonal disorders, weight gain, cardiovascular diseases...
👉 It's a fact: sleeping is fundamental to being in good health.
Now that that's said, let's get down to business by discovering how essential oils can help you overcome insomnia, fall asleep better, and stay asleep?
What is an essential oil?
Let's start with the basics, shall we? If we refer to the ANSM definition of essential oils (French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products):
“An odoriferous product, generally of complex composition, obtained from a botanically defined plant raw material, either by steam distillation, dry distillation, or an appropriate mechanical process without heating. The essential oil is most often separated from the aqueous phase by a physical process that does not result in a significant change in its composition.”
Okay, thanks for that... Basically, it's the essence of a plant, a concentrate of scents and powerful benefits extracted from the heart of nature (what a poet I am!)!
Is it an oil?
Despite its name, this product contains no oil.
This name is more due to the fact that they are hydrophobic substances, like fats. You can generally find them in pharmacies or specialized stores.
Where does it come from?
The use of essential oils, or more generally aromatherapy, is a practice known for hundreds (if not thousands!) of years: traces of their use have been found in certain Egyptian papyri.
They were apparently used for care, embalming, and religious rites.
More recently, their medicinal properties (preventive and curative) were studied by the scientific community in the 20th century in the West: after research by Charles Chamberland highlighting the antiseptic effect of oregano, clove, and cinnamon essential oils in 1887, the chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé published his research and developed the concept of aromatherapy in 1935.
How do essential oils work?
The mechanisms of action of an essential oil are multiple, because each component can have a specific effect, and there is a multitude of essential oils and combinations.
We talk about the aromatic ternary of essential oils, because there are said to be 3 known aspects and 3 mechanisms for their action on our body:
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🧪 Biochemical activity: this is the most well-known and documented. Here, the components of essential oils act by binding to receptors, triggering biochemical reactions. It is most often the synergy between several components that produces an effect.
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🧠 Informational activity: this action is mainly observed in the context of olfactotherapy and the impact of an essential oil's scent on your body. Basically, when you inhale an olfactory substance, the information is transmitted through the receptors in your nasal mucosa to your brain (and more specifically the limbic system, where memory and emotions are located), triggering physiological reactions. This activity is poorly documented and is not based on concrete scientific data, but rather on avenues of exploration and assumptions derived from how our limbic system functions.
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⚡️ Energetic activity: this aspect is linked to the electronic potential of the essential oil components. Let us explain: it has nothing to do with electric current, but rather with the deficit or excess of electrons that can lead to redox reactions (shout-out to the science students 🤓). This is why certain essential oils could have antioxidant actions and fight against the presence of free radicals, for example.
💡 Attention: even if some of these activities are documented and studied by scientists, to this day, we do not yet have all the data on how it works or even why it works. That is why we use the conditional tense!
Regarding the effects of essential oils, we distinguish:
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🦠 Anti-infectious, antiseptic effects,
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💉 Anti-inflammatory, antihistaminic actions,
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😌 Effects on the nervous system: sedative, calming, anti-stress...
To prevent and treat sleep disorders, this last category is the one that interests us. Indeed, more than half of insomnia cases are due to stress, anxiety, or even depression (source: ameli.fr), hence the usefulness of acting directly on the cause of your restless nights.
Which essential oils to sleep better?
As you will have understood, most of the time, essential oils are used to fight against sleep disorders like insomnia as part of a strategy to reduce stress and anxiety. Whether you have difficulty falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, or deep sleep disorders, aromatherapy can be a solution!
A small selection of essential oils renowned for reducing stress and promoting a good night's sleep:
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👉 Lavender: fine lavender essential oil is recommended for its sedative, soothing, and relaxing properties on the nervous system, thanks to its richness in linalool. It is the ideal essential oil for calm nights and deep sleep.
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Roman Chamomile: renowned for its calming and anxiolytic properties, chamomile essential oil can lead to more peaceful sleep.
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Petitgrain bigarade: this is also one that can be recommended if you suffer from stress hindering your ability to fall asleep. It is also said to have antispasmodic properties to relax your muscles and soothe your heart rate.
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Sweet Marjoram: recommended in cases of exhaustion and difficulty calming down, it is therefore well-indicated for sleep disorders.
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Bergamot: like fine lavender essential oil, it contains linalool. Furthermore, it is said to have an effect on the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
💡 Good to know: there are essential oil synergies for better sleep, composed of a mixture of several essential oils. Do not hesitate to ask a professional for advice.
Properly using essential oils to sleep better
Method of administering an essential oil:
If you want to test the effectiveness of essential oils to sleep better and fight stress, know that there are several methods of use:
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💨 Diffusion
This is the best-known method. Thanks to an essential oil diffuser specially designed for this purpose, you can enjoy the properties of their active components. You can turn on your diffuser for an hour at the end of the day to create an atmosphere conducive to relaxation.
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🤚 Dermal application
Certain essential oils can be mixed with a massage oil to act directly through the skin. To improve the quality of your sleep, the combined action of a soothing essential oil and massage can be a great solution!
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👃 Inhalation
In a bowl of hot water or directly on a tissue, a few drops of essential oil can help you fight anxiety and insomnia.
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🛏 Lavender essential oil on your pillow
If you enjoy the scent of lavender and are looking to regain peaceful sleep, you can also test lavender essential oil sprays to mist onto your pillow.
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🗣 Oral route
Certain essential oils like chamomile essential oil can be taken orally. Caution: we always advise you to seek the advice of a professional as this is the least well-tolerated route, especially regarding digestion.
Precautions for properly using the essential oil of your choice
Even if it is a so-called "gentle" medicine, aromatherapy is not without danger or side effects. Before rushing to any bottle in a pharmacy or specialized store, we recommend seeking advice from a professional.
Some precautions for using essential oils safely and optimizing their effects:
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Be sure to choose quality essential oil, preferably from organic farming, Ecocert certified, and whose traceability can be easily verified.
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Find out about their method of use and contraindications before using them.
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Respect the instructions for use and storage indicated on the product.
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If you plan on dermal application, find out well beforehand and do not hesitate to perform a sensitivity test by applying one or two drops of essential oil to the crook of your elbow or forearm.
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Only use essential oil in small quantities: these are concentrated substances that can be very irritating to mucous membranes or skin if you use too much!
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Essential oils are not recommended if you suffer from hormonal disorders, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, asthmatic, epileptic, as well as for children.
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Essential oil should never be taken neat, and never as self-medication.
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In case of doubt, do not hesitate to consult. If you still suffer from insomnia and sleep problems, we advise you to make an appointment with a specialist.
And if you wish to give yourself the best chance to sleep better, we recommend reading our complete guide to regaining quality sleep!
Final word: which essential oils for sleeping well
➡️ Essential oils can be beneficial for fighting difficulties falling asleep, insomnia, and nocturnal awakenings. By improving your well-being and lowering your stress levels, they are renowned for promoting restorative sleep.
➡️ Sweet marjoram, lavender, petitgrain bigarade, and Roman chamomile essential oils are the most well-known for combating sleep problems.
➡️ You can use them via diffusion, inhalation, or dermal application, but always diluted.
➡️ Be careful to respect the precautions for the use of essential oils to avoid side effects. In case of doubt, always ask a doctor for advice.
PS: a little reminder that never hurts. Essential oils, like any sleep tip, remain only a trick, an aid. But the fundamental aspect to work on remains finding balance. Where does this insomnia come from? It is often a matter of stress. If that is the case, go see our article on how to sleep when you are stressed.
