Lavender can help us sleep better, manage stress and anxiety, and sleep better in hot weather like summer.
Why lavender ?
Lavender has a reputation for calming and soothing.
It has long been used for its many and varied properties: relieving stress, calming a restless mind, helping you fall asleep, reducing blood pressure, but also against acne, as it has purifying properties and will relieve skin inflammation and promote healing.
It can be used as a spray, essential oil, herbal tea, floral water, diffuser, patch, etc.
With regard to sleep disorders, those who have tried it have noticed a reduction in stress and anxiety, a calmer state of mind, and an ease in falling asleep more serenely.
How to use it ?
Diffusion : take your essential oil diffuser and put lavender essential oil in it at night, before going to bed. Just 2 or 3 drops are enough. Ideally, 15 to 30 minutes before bedtime, so that your body and mind are calm. Use this time to meditate, relax, read or stretch. These moments are invaluable before bedtime, as they will help you to be in a calmer, more serene frame of mind. Remember to turn off your cell phone, and screens such as the computer or TV.
Direct inhalation: you can place a few drops of lavender essential oil on your wrists, rub them together and inhale the scent. And, if you wake up in the middle of the night, breathe in your wrists. Inhalation of this essential oil is said to act on the same neurotransmitter as benzodiazepines such as anxiolytics and sleeping pills, but without their side effects.
The essential oil bath: before going to bed, if you like to take a bath, add a few drops of lavender to it. The evaporation of your bath water and the calm it brings will soothe you even more.
Spray: spray on your pillow, but it’s best to put it under the pillow so as not to get your eyes too close. Alternatively, ready-made sprays are available which are less strong than pure essential oil and can therefore be put on your pillow on the side where you sleep without any problem, or on your pyjamas.
Which essential oil to choose ?
Choose an organic essential oil or one as natural as possible.
You’ll find several lavender essential oils, but the one for sleep is called true or officinal lavender essential oil (Lavandula officialis or angustifolia or vera).
It is recommended for anxiety, agitation, stress, insomnia, digestive discomfort of nervous origin or bloating.
If you’re not sure which essential oil to choose, take the one from Aromazone here
And if you’re looking for another recipe because you don’t like lavender or can’t stand it, here’s a recipe suggested by AromaZone for better sleep without lavender.
Contraindications
For people with asthma, direct diffusion and inhalation is not recommended as lavender essential oil contains linalol and this may be irritating to these people. I recommend that you ask your doctor for advice.
The essential oil can be used on children but be careful with the dosage, look carefully at what dosage you can put in.
For pregnant women: during the first 3 months of pregnancy it’s best to avoid, as well as for breastfeeding women.
For babies or young children, if you’re afraid, use lavender floral water, much less concentrated but also effective.