Essential oils for insomnia

(NaturalNews) Tossing and turning without falling asleep can be more than annoying, as even a few restless nights can wreck havoc on your mind and body.

While it is easy to pop a pill in an attempt to find some relief from occasional insomnia, Mother Nature has provided a number of ways to do so without resorting to medications or over-the-counter sleeping aids that could potentially lead to the development of even more disrupted sleeping patterns.

Events during the day can influence the quality of sleep you are able to achieve at night

A racing mind, replaying the events of the day can hinder the ability for you to get a restful night's sleep. However, even if your mind isn't racing, what happens while you are awake can influence your quality of sleep.

Consuming heavy meals and drinking beverages that contain caffeine can prevent your body from transitioning into the restorative sleeping mode, as can exercising close to bedtime. Even the items that you keep on your nightstand or in your line of vision while in bed can affect your quality of sleep.

As such, keeping brightly lit alarm clocks and cell phones next to your bed should be cautioned against due to the ability of these electronics to hinder your ability to fall and stay asleep. Additionally, high levels of stress during the day can help to feed the racing mind that can keep you from obtaining quality, restful and replenishing sleep.

Using essential oils to quiet your mind and drift off to dreamland

The healing properties of essential oils have been well documented, with the history of their use dating back thousands of years.

Plants in nature not only provide aesthetic beauty and bountiful produce but also have beneficial compounds from which the essential oil is obtained. Some of the essential oils that have been shown to be beneficial for treating insomnia and other sleep disturbances include lavender, valerian, vetiver, roman chamomile, and marjoram.

The most effective method of using essential oils includes aromatherapy with the use of a diffuser and some research suggests that aromatherapy through massage is effective in providing relaxation.

Sources:

www.webmd.com

www.experience-essential-oils.com

www.freep.com

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle