Essential oils for better sleep?
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Relax and sleep better.
That's what I had in mind when I created my aromatherapy collection - Nos da, meaning 'Good night' in the beautifully poetic Welsh language.
Essential oils are highly aromatic organic compounds which have been extracted from the flowers, fruits, leaves, roots and barks of plants. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to promote better health and wellbeing. Specific essential oils are proven to help manage feelings of stress, fatigue, lack of concentration, improve focus and enhance our mood.
With my educated, trialled and tested blends of pure essential oils and aromatherapy infused products - you could be just a few deep breaths away from calm, focus, happiness and better sleep.
How essential oils work.
We are all aware of lavender's soothing properties, and the relaxing effects of a warm chamomile tea. But what is it that makes these flowers great for relaxation? The thing that these floral essential oils have in common is one of their major components, linalool. This produces a gentle sedative effect on the body which helps to induce calm and relaxation by balancing the nervous system.
The scientific part...
When inhaled, essential oils activate areas of the nose called smell receptors, which send messages through your nervous system to the the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system which consists of the hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdala - is responsible for many endocrine, voluntary and visceral reactions within our body as well as regulating memory, mood and emotions, behaviours and sense of smell.
With our sense of smell and our memory having a direct link within the structure of the brain, it is possible to use aromatherapy and your sense of smell to train your circadian rhythm and teach your body to fall asleep quicker, achieve better quality sleep and feel more energised the next day.
What better reason is there to add some hand-blended aromatherapy into your home?
Incorporating aromatherapy into your daily routine to improve sleep is easier than you think!
Do you struggle to switch off after a busy day? Or end up laying in bed thinking about unfinished tasks and tomorrow's to-do list.
If so, start a new habit of taking some time to pause at the end of your busy day, and reconnect with your body. Hit the reset button between your day and night. Just 10 minutes could be all you need - go inwards, focussing only on your breath and consciously relax the tension within your body. This will force your brain to stop thinking about anything else, and your body will relax. Incorporate some essential oils to enhance your relaxation and start the association within your brain between scent and relaxation.
Discover the right essential oil blend for you by clicking here.
If you're the type of person who usually forgets about taking care of yourself I'd recommend using a reed diffuser - once you have placed it in your favourite spot, the natural fibre reeds will do the rest for you. Reed diffusers work by continuously diffusing the aromatherapy blend throughout your home. You literally don't need to think about it again (until it needs replacing).
Nos da aromatherapy reed diffuser.
A sleep inducing bath...
Taking a warm bath 1-2 hours before bedtime is proven to induce better sleep. Not only does it feel incredibly relaxing the moment you submerge your body into the comforting waters, but it actually plays a role in regulating your circadian rhythm by lowering your core temperature.
It may seem counterintuitive but a warm bath stimulates the body’s thermoregulatory system. Blood circulation from the internal core moves to the peripheral sites of the hands and feet which causes the core body temperature to drop - this is a signal to our brain that it is time to sleep.
Level up your bathing experience by adding some magnesium rich aromatherapy infused bath salts.
Click here to learn more about Nos da bedtime bath salts.