Aromatherapy is a popular way to use scents to relax, calm and otherwise help us enjoy life. Aromas can help us achieve a better emotional and physical health. They are best when derived directly from natural essential oils. Aromatherapy can help us relieve many ailments from headaches to anxiety and even to help us sleep more soundly and fall asleep more quickly.

Which Oils Help You sleep?

There are many scents that can help relax the body for a deeper more restful sleep. There are even oil blends on the market that are blended specially to help you sleep. However there are five main essential oils that have been proven to help people sleep better. These aromas include lavender, chamomile, bergamot, and sandalwood.

Lavender for sleep

Lavender is among the most common and useful of the sleep aromas and comes from the flower of the Lavender plant. However, some people have mild to severe allergies to this herb. If you have never used Lavender before you should use it with caution and start with a small about to make sure you are not allergic. It can be used to sooth insect bites, ward off acne and to help you sleep. As a sleep aid you can add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath, put lavender flowers or a drop of oil inside your pillow case, or use it to make a bedtime tea.

Chamomile for Sleep

Like Lavender, chamomile can also be used as an anti-inflammatory and it comes from the flower of its plant. It has properties that sooth emotional mood swings due to PMS or menopause, calm hyperactivity in children, relive pain and cramping, ease sore muscles, and encourage sleep. As a sleep aid it is particularly recommended for insomnia. To use chamomile you can add the oil to your bath, drink or breath the aroma of a tea, or put some in your pillow.

Bergamot for Sleep

Bergamot is a small pear-shaped citrus fruit that is native to southeast Asia. The essential oil form is extracted from the peel or rind of the fruit. It should not be confused with the herb of a flowering plant which has the same name because of it's similar scent. Bergamot oil is used to flavor Earl Gray tea and its citrus aroma will give you leave you refreshed.

Sandalwood for Sleep

Sandalwood oil comes from a specific category of woody flowering trees. Sandalwood can be used to treat bronchitis, depression, stretch marks, scars, and laryngitis. It is extracted from the sapwood of the tree. Sandalwood can be used by putting in your bath or pillow. It can irritate the skin to people who are sensitive to it.

If you want to use any aromas in essential oil form it is important to be aware of how to use it appropriately. Any essential oil applied to your skin should be diluted in a vegetable carrier oil first. Another great way to use the oils is to to put them in an aromatherapy diffuser. It is also acceptable to mix a few different essential oils, but be cautioned that mixing scents can sometimes produce a more unpleasant aroma than the oil provides on its own. Any of these aromas make good aromatherapy for sleeping, but some may work better for you than others.