The 10 Best Essential Oils for Sleep

Millions, perhaps billions of people all over the world use essential oils for a wide range of benefits. One of the most common reasons these natural substances are so popular is because they are known to work as sleep aids. But what are the best essential oils for sleep? You'd be surprised at some of the common essential oils for sleep, but first let's take a quick look at three things:

• Why are they called "essential"?
• What's the best way to use the oils?
• What are the most popular essential oils?

Why are They Called "Essential" Oils?

Most often used by practitioners of aromatherapy, essential oils come from plants and can often be identified by their odor, color and feel. There are several different ways to get the oils out of plants, the most common being a cold-press process, water distillation or steam distillation. After the oil is out, it's typically joined with what's called a "carrier" to form the final product you see on store shelves.

One thing many consumers don't know is this: when oils are taken from plants by chemical processes, they're not actually considered "essential." When sellers use that word, they're indicating that the oil was derived from its parent plant by means of a natural method like distillation or cold-pressing. It's always wise to check labels on the oils you buy to make sure they are, in fact, "essential" oils.

What's the Best Way to Use Essential Oils?

If you've ever used an essential oil before, you know that they are either placed directly onto the skin or are inhaled. Never swallow or otherwise ingest an essential oil or you could suffer some very dangerous physical reactions, even poisoning.

But, by breathing the aroma of the oil or taking it into your body via the skin, you can gain many benefits. Some people believe, though it's not been proven, that oils are absorbed into the skin if they are warm or if they are put in specific places on the body. In any case, inhalation and skin absorption are the two ways that some of the oil's chemicals can get into the human body and begin their work.

One thing that oils can do is cause the body's limbic system to become stimulated. The limbic system is connected with the human ability to experience certain emotions, remember things for long periods of time and other physical and mental mechanisms. One of the major roles of the limbic system is in the formation of both long- and short-term memories.

Have you ever detected a certain aroma in the air and instantly had a memory of something that happened long ago? Well, that's a perfect example of how aromatherapy can work. Smells, especially from essential oils, can trigger all sorts of memories, emotions and other reactions. Aromatherapy can be quite powerful for some people.

Another feature of the limbic system is its role in processes like blood pressure, the resting heart rate and the speed at which the body breathes. Though there is no definitive proof, many people who use essential oils say that the natural odors of the oils have profound effects on emotional, mental and physical states of their bodies.

What are the Most Popular Essential Oils?

If you ever visit a store where essential oils are sold, you'll probably notice that there are certain oils that sell much better than others. In fact, among the hundred or so essential oils for sale on the market, about two dozen of them account for the bulk of sales.

It's also common practice for sellers to categorize oils by the conditions they're known to treat, or by the beneficial effects they can have on the body. For example, tea tree oil is often marketed as an infection-fighting substance, jasmine as a way to combat depression, rose as an anxiety remedy and lavender as an effective way to address stress.

Many oils have multiple purposes and are often combined with other methods of treatment. As a form of alternative medicine, aromatherapy regularly uses more than one-hundred essential oils as remedies for a large number of physical and mental ailments. Many of the claims made for particular oils are not proven by clinical research studies and often rely on anecdotal or "word of mouth" evidence to support their claims.

Regardless of the science behind the claims, people have been using essential oils for hundreds of years to help them deal with ailments, allergies, sleep problems, emotional difficulties and much more.

Based on consumer preferences, some of the most popular essential oils include chamomile, tea tree, lemon, jasmine, ylang-ylang, peppermint, sandalwood, lavender, rose and bergamot.

Essential Oils and Sleep

While essential oils are used every day by millions of consumers for all sorts of conditions, there is very little research backing up claims about their benefits and ability to combat various ailments. However, a number of studies have been done on some oils, so there is at least a beginning of a scientific database about some of the claims made by those who sell the products.

To address the question, "What are the most effective essential oils for sleep?" it's helpful to look at a specific study that was conducted with women and heart patients who were having trouble falling asleep. That research noted that lavender can help bring about sleep if a person simply smells the oil for a few seconds after lying down to rest.

It's also interesting that another study described how lavender can also help relieve anxiety in people who inhale its aroma. This makes sense, particularly when you stop to think that many people can't sleep because they suffer from anxiety.

It's not just lavender that has been shown to bring on faster and deeper sleep. A study on more than a dozen different essential oils showed that many of these substances can aid human sleep and can do so without side effects. Considering the fact that most over-the-counter sleep aids have multiple side effects, many of which can be quite severe, it's good to know that some of the research on essential oils for sleep yielded positive results.

What are the 10 Best Essential Oils for Sleep?

Here's a list of the ten best essential oils for sleep, and a brief description of each one:

• Marjoram: You probably already know about marjoram from its use in the kitchen, but it does much more that act as a food ingredient. Besides being one of the most beloved of the natural sleep aids, it's also used to help digestion, relieve minor pain and calm the nerves. Marjoram also has a reputation among consumers as being an effective way to boost the quality of sleep, enhance overall brain function and clear the mind
• Valerian: Long used in Asia as a treatment for fatigue and physical stress, valerian is gaining popularity in the West as an effective, natural sleep aid. Some people use it to help return their blood pressure to normal and to eliminate some kinds of heart problems. Overall, valerian has been used since ancient times as a remedy for nervousness and sleep problems. It's also common for people in Asia to make tea from the root of the valerian plant. This is one way to get the benefits of valerian without using it as an essential oil. Nowadays, you can find "valerian tea" on the shelves of many health food stores all over the world.
• Lavender: Lavender enjoys a reputation as being not only one of the most effective but also the most popular natural sleep aid among all essential oils. There has been research to back up these claims. A ⦁ study based in Germany noted that lavender oil is effective for treating both insomnia and nervousness of the stomach. Other research has pointed to similar results, thus making lavender one of the top-selling essential oils in the world. It also smells great and is used in hundreds of perfumes, deodorants and skin creams.
• Clary Sage: This popular oil with an earthy aroma has been used for centuries as a sleep aid and stress-reliever. Some users say it can also bring about an overall sense of emotional stability and full-body relaxation. It's great smell is the reason it's also used in wines and perfumes.
• Roman Chamomile: Long used as a healing agent and sleep aid, chamomile has enjoyed a burst of popularity on TV and in other media. Known as a "natural sleep-inducer," chamomile is also widely used in making tea. It's one of the essential oils that was first used as an alternative to over-the-counter sleep medicines. With no known side effects, chamomile is often the first choice of aromatherapy enthusiasts who need help getting to sleep at night.
• Bergamot: One of the few citrus fruits used as a sleep aid, this plant has the ability to calm the nerves and has been used in natural medical treatments in Italy for many years. The plant is native to Italy and is often used to slow the heart rate and can even help some people who suffer from high blood pressure. Overall, bergamot is most popular as a stress-reliever and aid for general anxiety.
• Cedarwood: This essential oil is one of the most popular of all due to its reputation as not only a sleep aid but an aid for losing weight, preventing baldness and fighting allergies. It's unique "wood-like" smell has the power to calm the nerves in just a few seconds, according to those who use it regularly. Many people who want to fall asleep faster rub a drop or two of cedarwood oil into their skin and get good results.
• Sandalwood: Sandalwood is a powerful essential oil, known to help not only with sleep but also as a memory aid, an immunity booster, an anti-inflammatory agent, an astringent, and an overall aid to general mental and physical health.
• Ylang-ylang: Prevalent in Asia but popular all over the world, the oil of these flowers carries a powerfully sweet aroma. Some people also use this oil to fight hypertension. Ylang-ylang has no known side effects, has been used for hundreds of years to "calm the nerves," and is also an effective antiseptic.
• Neroli: You might have seen neroli sold as "bitter orange" or "orange blossom." Whatever name it's marketed under, the oil has been used to decrease stress, fight anxiety and help people get to sleep faster. The oil has a strong citrus aroma and is usually combined with rose and chamomile to help deliver faster, deeper sleep for those who use it.

How to Buy and Store Essential Oils

Here are a few shopping tips for those new to the world of essential oils.

• Always purchase from a company that has a good reputation. Look for online reviews or speak with people who have been using essential oils for a long time.
• If you order oils online and they arrive in plastic bottles, transfer them to glass bottles if possible. Some oils have the ability to eat through plastic. Some shippers use plastic to avoid breakage.
• If your bottle of essential oil includes a rubber "eye-dropper" attached to the cap, remove it if possible. If not, try to find a glass bottle to transfer the oil into. Rubber droppers can, over time, dissolve in an oil and make it impure or even dangerous to use.
• Beware of essential oils that are priced far below the average market levels. Some unscrupulous sellers dilute their oils and sell them online for "discount prices" that are nothing more than a tricky way of selling you a sub-standard product. This is why it is important to buy from trusted sellers who have been in the business for a while and have a solid reputation.
• Try to get oils that are fresh. If you purchase your oils locally, take a look at the caps of the products. Do they have dust on them? Then they might be old and closer to becoming oxidized or quite weak. Always ask the seller about the age of the oil, what its expiration date is and any other details about the purity and origin of the product.
• Always look for the Latin name of the oil on the container it comes in. Also be sure to find out about the method of extraction from the label or from the seller.

Essential oils can be a cost-effective and safe way to get better sleep. Be a careful shopper and do some research on the oils that interest you. Find a seller that you can trust and start out slowly getting to know the market. Experiment with different brands and ways of using essential oils for better sleep.