According to a survey published in March 2024, sleep deprivation is on the rise in India. In fact, 61% of adults reported sleeping less than six hours a night, a 6% uptick from last year. Poor sleep has been attributed to busy lifestyles, excessive time spent on phones and social media, increased family and professional responsibilities, and wellness being a low priority for busy individuals.
This Aromatherapy Awareness Week (10th-16th June 2024), we caught up with certified aromatherapist Sakshi Sethi to understand how essential oils can promote sound, deep, and restful sleep.
6 Essential Oils for Deep, Restorative Sleep Recommended By The Expert
Essential oils are a safe and holistic way to treat sleep problems. Based on the principles of aromatherapy, the oils interact with your olfactory system (sense of smell), and signal the neurotransmitters in your brain to trigger calming hormones and suppress stress hormones that make it easier for you to sleep. This therapeutic approach to treating sleep deprivation, insomnia, and other sleep disorders has overarching benefits on your mental and physical health, minus any side effects.
The floral scent of this aromatic oil is extremely calming and gives you a feeling of spa-like serenity. Lavender oil features components like linalool and linalyl acetate, both of which are known to reduce anxiety and stress.
How To Use: Put a few drops of The Blue Pond Pure Lavender Essential Oil on your pillow case so that you inhale the calming scent through the night. You should also make it a part of your daily self-care routine to promote mental wellbeing throughout the day so that when you go to bed, you are feeling calm. For example, you can massage your face every morning with the Trepho Morning Ritual Facial Oil. It is a potent blend of calming lavender oil and stress-reducing frankincense oil and will help you begin your day on the right note.
This oil acts like a natural sedative and helps usher you into a state of tranquility and calm. It is derived from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree and has a very soothing aroma that helps reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
How To Use: You can add a few drops of Neroli oil to a diffuser and place it in your bedroom an hour before bedtime. You can also use a product like the Trepho Night Ritual Facial Oil, which blends three sleep-promoting oils—neroli, chamomile, and rose oil. Together, this potent trio can help people with insomnia by calming their nervous system to get them to a restful state of mind.
Chamomile products, whether it’s oils, teas, balms, or face mists, have a well-known anti-anxiety effect on the brain. This is because of the component apigenin in chamomile, which works both like a relaxer and sedative and calms your overactive intrusive thoughts.
How To Use: You can add a few drops of chamomile oil to a diffuser in your bedroom, or to your bath water to relax your mind and body. If you have a colicky baby, or a little one that has trouble sleeping through the night, use The Blue Pond Neos Night Massage Oil as part of the child’s bedtime ritual. It features a gentle blend of chamomile oil and lavender oil, along with other skin-friendly oils that will aid digestion and soothe your baby.
Extracted from the cannabis sativa plant, hemp seed oil has multiple skincare, haircare, wellness, and pain management benefits. Don’t worry, it is not intoxicating as it features less than 0.3% THC. The gamma-linolenic acid, and omegas 3 and 6 in hemp seed oil reduce stress, and muscle tension, and relax your mind and body. This helps you drift into a state of restfulness and allows you to sleep soundly throughout the night. Hemp seed oil is legal, and safe for kids, adults, the elderly, and even pets.
How To Use: There are specific formulations meant for oral consumption, but hemp seed essential oil can also be put in your diffuser, or applied to your temples, pulse points, wrists, and soles of your feet. Try the Epione De-Stress & Pain Relief Oil for the ultimate solution, because it features hemp seed oil, wintergreen Oil (pain-relieving), peppermint Oil (muscle relaxant), and eucalyptus oil (clears sinuses).
Lesser known fact, while lavender oil is more popular for its calming properties, when it comes to sleep, jasmine oil works even better. The floral aroma acts as a mood booster, while the linalool and benzyl acetate reduce anxiety and restlessness. It is perfect for people who toss and turn all night and don’t feel like they’ve had restful sleep even despite clocking in 7 hours of nap time.
How To Use: There are many smart ways to incorporate jasmine into your daily routine to promote mental wellness right through the day, so you sleep well at night. For example, you can use The Blue Pond Organic Jasmine Oil in your diffuser, have some jasmine oil-based potpourri in the house, add a few drops of the oil to your bath water or on your pillow, or even use it in your skincare and self-care products. Like the Thalassa range of products by The Blue Pond Store. Jasmine oil features prominently in the Thalassa Hands & Feet Gel, Thalassa Exfoliating Volcanic Clay Mask, and even the Thalassa After-Bath Body Oil.
A lesser-known gem, frankincense essential oil is an underrated hero in holistic solutions to treat sleep disorders. This oil comes from the Boswellia tree. It has compounds like alpha-pinene and limonene, which don’t just reduce stress and anxiety in the mind and body, but also act as a sedative (much like chamomile). Frankincense essential oil is great for people suffering from sleep apnea or hypertension because it regulates sleep patterns, and promotes a stable heart rate.
How To Use: Like other essential oils, you can apply The Blue Pond Organic Frankincense Oil to your pulse points, temples, feet, and wrists, or put a few drops in a diffuser and let the scent linger. You can also use it with a carrier oil to massage your body. Interestingly, frankincense is a great skincare oil because it is anti-inflammatory, and can help calm active acne and even rosacea. Take for example the Theia Anti-Acne Serum. It features frankincense oil, along with tea tree water (antioxidant-rich sebum regulator and skin toner), grapeseed oil (antibacterial with scar healing antioxidants), salicylic acid (exfoliator and pore decongestant), sorbic acid (antibacterial and antifungal), and bergamot oil (anti-inflammation scar healer).
In the end, remember that incorporating essential oils can be very helpful in helping you sleep well through the night. They help trigger happy hormones like dopamine, and serotonin, and also release or suppress stress hormones like cortisol, and overactive nervous adrenaline. Look for essential oils that are preferably organic and natural blends, and certified by EcoCert, OneCert, or other regulatory bodies that guarantee the use of the highest quality ingredients.