STRESS LESS AND SLEEP WELL WITH THE RIGHT ESSENTIAL OILS

Are you suffering from lack of sleep or an overload of stress?

These all-too-common, modern-day complaints often go hand in hand.

Indeed, stress versus sleep relationship can be a vicious cycle. The more stressed you are - the harder it is to sleep. Lack of sleep, in turn, intensifies the stress you feel, because your sleep-deprived body generates more stress hormones.

Prescription drugs like anti-depressants and sleeping pills should be a last resort and best avoided if at all possible. They can be harmful and highly addictive when taken over time. Instead, we recommend the following natural techniques to reduce stress, encourage sleep and get your life back in balance.

 

Techniques to quickly reduce stress

1. Move the body

Exercise has been proven to lower anxiety and gear the body for sleep. Morning or afternoon is the best time to exercise. Just before bedtime, try movement that ends in quiet meditation, like a yoga stretch, to relax the body and mind.

 

2. Set the scene

Environmental factors such as light, sound and temperature all affect the body’s ability to unwind and rest. A dark, quiet and cool (but not cold) bedroom setting is best. Clean, fresh linen also helps. And taking a shower or bath just before bed can relax and moderate the body’s temperature, which brings about sleep more readily.

 

3. Avoid stimulants

Too much caffeine or alcohol can increase anxiety, raise the heart rate and inhibit sleep. It would also help to avoid screens at least an hour before bed. TVs, tablets, smartphones emit a short-wavelength. This artificial blue light keeps the brain awake and suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Try listening to music or reading a book instead.

 

4. Relax the mind

Mindfulness meditation, yoga and breathing exercises offer easy and effective tools to reach a non-stressed, relaxed state. Calm can also be achieved by taking a walk. When you practice techniques for soothing the mind during the day, it’s easier to unwind and trigger the relaxation response at night.

 

5. Don’t forget your essentials

As well as aiding natural sleeping rhythms, certain essential plant oils can also effectively, and naturally, help towards reducing anxiety and stress. They integrate seamlessly with the body’s innate control systems and act organically the same way as the body’s own hormones to influence the areas of physiology that are linked to mood and sleep.

 

Lavender True (organic) 

The concentrated essence of the familiar soothing Lavender has powerful properties to aid calm and relaxation. Safe and soft for families but with real potency to help release tension and counter restlessness.

 

 

Dream Time (organic) 

A blend of all the best relaxing, sedative pure essential oils with inbuilt respiratory support in a powerful natural synergy, plus a wonderfully comforting aroma. We also have Twinkle Star (organic), which is the child-friendly solution, made with the gentlest plant strains.

 

 

Stress Less (organic)

Calms the nervous system and quietens mental traffic. Helps re-establish balance and supports a positive attitude. 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE:

• Add 5-10 drops to a diffuser
• Mix 6-10 drops in milk, add to bath
• Add 1-5 drops to 1ml carrier oil or cream for massage
• Add 1-2 drops direct to pulse points

 

WHAT IS THE BEST ESSENTIAL OIL TO COMBAT ANXIETY?  

The answer depends on gender. The physiology of women tends to make their anxiety issues interdependent on hormone balance and so Clary Sage would be our recommendation. For men, research shows that Sandalwood helps with anxious thoughts, and Cedarwood can help with as an economic alternative. Application would be the same as for stress above, perhaps with greater frequency.

IS THERE AN ESSENTIAL OIL THAT WILL HELP BALANCE OUR MOODS?

Again, gender plays a part in the below selections. For a general boost to mood, Citrus oils are highly effective (Lemon, Lime, Bergamot and Mandarin). They are energising and cleansing and so offer a ‘reboot’ to stagnant settings. Our clinical blend Life Lift offers this strong citrus synergy. 

Manic or hyper moods need calming, so for this, we would recommend Lavender or Sandalwood for men.  Hormonal endocrine imbalances of oestrogen, testosterone or progesterone can be best addressed with essential oils like Clary Sage, Tarragon, Sage and German Chamomile. We also would recommend Feminine Balance as a powerful balancing synergy for women and maturing girls.