Short-term, episodic sleep disturbances happen with everyone. Their cause may be a nervous excitement and strain on the eve of important events, overeating, responsible performance in front of a large audience, bad habits, conflicts in the family or at work, jet lag as a result of long distance flights. Any event, accompanied by nervous tension, even very pleasant, can lead to the fact that people will be difficult to fall asleep and wake up early, it will adversely affect their health and mood. To cope with sleeping disorders effectively you can be use aromatherapy techniques and simple methods that will relieve stress after a hard day.
Aromatherapy techniques can not only affect the immediate symptoms, but also cope with disorders that cause sleep disturbance. Healing properties of essential oils help to calm and healthy sleep, without causing the notorious side effects that invariably arise when medication. Fragrance and aromatic baths are the most common methods of dealing with insomnia. Applying essential oils, you can use the good old oil burner or modern electric diffusers.
Learn the basics and methods of aromatherapy, its safety and contraindications, and safely use essential oils for insomnia.
Roman Chamomile
Roman Chamomile essential oil is a perennial herbaceous plant. It shouldn’t be confused with pharmacy/German chamomile from which the oil is blue (blue chamomile oil). These oils vary greatly by their composition. Fragrance is warm, sweet, herbaceous, with notes of apple. According to a well-known German aromatherapist Ruth von Braunschweig a single drop of Roman chamomile essential oil can be dissolved in vegetable oil and applied to the solar plexus to calm nerves, relieve tension and cope with a nervous shock.
Ylang-Ylang
The healing properties of ylang-ylang essential oil, which fully conveys the specifics of a complex heady aroma, are fully inherited from the unique plant. The qualities of this aromatic oils highly valued even in Victorian times, when it was obtained through the legendary balm for hair growth. Despite a rich history, today mainly ylang-ylang valued more for perfume and emotional characteristics. The oil is able to heal the insomnia problems.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood essential oil is a product having a rich history that goes back more than 4000 years. It is mentioned even in the ancient Vedic texts, which are written in Sanskrit. It was used in India for religious materials used in smoking candles to go into a meditative state and just to relax. Sandalwood oil soothes, promotes relaxation. It helps with insomnia, asthenic-depressive syndrome. It stimulates creativity. The scent of sandalwood improves mood, sharpens the senses (known aphrodisiac), treats insomnia, depression.
Cedarwood
Cedarwood essential oil is a viscous liquid of yellow, amber, orange or brown. The aroma of cedarwood oil soothes, creates comfort, a feeling of security, tranquility and reliability. It enhances mental performance and physical activity, improves sleep, soothing and uplifting. The oil helps in a state of nervous tension and anxiety, during stimulation, stress, depression.
Vetiver
Vetiver essential oil is used to treat insomnia in children and adults. This is a classic remedy for insomnia and increased irritability of the nervous system. Besides calming effect on the nervous system, it regulates cardiac function and vascular tone, normalizing blood pressure. It is noticed that the vetiver lowers high blood pressure, but does not change the normal. It is used for treatment of early stages of hypertension.
Any essential oil, aimed at the treatment of sleep disorders, can not be used longer than two weeks without interruption. The most effective way is considered to be the practice of gradual replacement of oil with the “transition” period, when the old and new oil are used in a mixture in equal parts. To find your oil, you need to experiment, try to look for suitable mixtures.
If insomnia becomes compulsive disorder, you can not deal with it through the normal procedures. Seek medical advice and develop an individual program, which would complement the traditional methods of meditation, breathing exercises, sauna, massage.
Essential oils are effective only if you change the way of your life and try to get ready for bed properly. First of all, you need to pay attention to your bed rest – you should consciously reduce, inhibit emotional arousal, and also decline, accordingly, the intensity of the physical and mental activities.
Do not read books before sleeping, which can cause strong emotions and make a strong impression, arrange a late abundant dinner, drink plenty of fluid – you cannot fall asleep for a long time, and your sleep will be difficult. Supper should not be too late, try not to eat or drink two hours before bedtime.
Much attention should be paid to hygiene and room air shall be fresh and clean, and regular wet cleaning – to become a binding rule. It should take care of sleeping place. Very soft bed time makes it difficultthe skin to breathe, and a blanket that you harbor should not be heavy. It promotes good sleep and a short walk in the fresh air, or at least access to the balcony before going to bed.
To resort to the help of sedatives (such as valerian or motherwort) and take them before going to bed can be only in extreme cases, on the advice of a doctor, having exhausted all these ways of dealing with the physical, emotional and psychological stress.
If the sleep disturbance have become systematic, regular and any aromatherapy or medication cannot help, be sure to consult not only a physician but also a neurologist.
