Can Aromatherapy Help You Relax and Fall Asleep at Night?
Feeling relaxed is one of the most vital contributing factors to good quality sleep at night. All of your senses can play a crucial role in helping you fall asleep or keeping you awake. For example, stimulating music can keep you awake, while soothing music can make you feel sleepy.
Similarly, the sense of touch can also help you feel relaxed and go to sleep. That is why many people use a heavy blanket or a heavy down comforter for anxiety and stress-related problems. The weighted blanket or comforter provides deep touch pressure therapy that gives them the feeling of being hugged when they sleep.
Neurotransmitters can also play a vital role in helping people get the required amount of sleep at night. That is why people dealing with stress and anxiety prefer using weighted blankets because using them produces serotonin and melatonin in the brain. Both of these hormones contribute to feeling relaxed and sleep peacefully at night.
Scientists believe that the sense of smell can also reduce anxiety and stress, thereby improving a person’s quality of life. They think that aroma and scent stimulate a person’s olfactory receptors in the nose. The receptors send signals to the brain via the nervous system, which trigger an emotional response.
Even if you don’t feel interested in the scientific part of it, you must have experienced how you react to different smells. For example, you may love the fragrance of certain flowers, but you might not like the odor of certain fruits. The aroma of your favorite pie can make you hungry even before you have seen it.
The Best Scents to Fall Asleep
Scientists believe that certain scents can make you feel relaxed and have a peaceful sleep at night. However, there isn’t a universal scent that can make everyone feel sleepy. That’s because not every person has the same reaction to a pleasant aroma.
Most people love the smell of jasmine flowers, but you might hate it. Your neighbor might swear that he falls asleep as soon as his room fills up with the scent of lavender, but you cannot imagine that to be true. Some people find the smell of rose relaxing, while others associate it with funeral parlors.
That is why every person has to try a few fragrances to find one that works the best for them. These are some of the most popular scents that help people feel relaxed or fall asleep.
Jasmine
Jasmine is extremely popular for its relaxing aroma. The scent is very light, so it works well for people who are not fond of floral smells and find them strong or overwhelming. Jasmine has been used in studies related to sleep and mental relaxation.
Lavender
Lavender is probably one of the most popular choices of scents to fall asleep. Most people find the smell of lavender soothing and relaxing. Studies have shown that lavender fragrance can reduce anxiety for most people and help them fall asleep. Lavender oil is also quite well-known for its sedative properties.
Vanilla
The smell of vanilla is a favorite of a lot of people because it reminds them of cakes, cookies, and other baked goodies that they love so much. That is why most people find the warm and sweet aroma extremely relaxing and calming. Vanilla is also well-known for reducing blood pressure and heart rates for a lot of people.
Bergamot
If you like drinking Earl Grey tea, you are going to love this one. Bergamot is a citrusy smell that reminds you of summer with a hint of spice. A lot of people find the scent of bergamot extremely soothing. It is also often combined with Jasmine to create relaxing aromas.
Ylang-Ylang
Ylang-Ylang is a sweet-smelling essential oil extracted from a tree native to Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. The essential oil has sedative properties, and the smell is said to relieve stress and promote relaxation.
Rose
Rose is another popular scent, and a lot of people use it to reduce stress and anxiety. It is one of the classic perfumes and works best on people who are fond of simplicity in their lives.
If none of these scents work for you, you can keep experimenting to find one that you find most relaxing.
Ways to Use the Scent
There are several effective ways to use the scent for aromatherapy in your bedroom. Some of them are:
- Scented candles
- Humidifier
- Incense stick
- Essential oil diffuser
- Added to bath water at night
- Sprayed with water on your bed sheet
- Applied directly on your skin
When you are using an essential oil, make sure that you read the instructions first. You should avoid applying undiluted essential oil directly to your bare skin as it may irritate you.
Even if the idea of aromatherapy does not appeal to you, we suggest that you give it a try. If nothing else, at least your bedroom will have a pleasant smell while you sleep.
