Best essential oils for sleep
Falling asleep doesn’t always come easily to everyone. If you’re someone who counts sheep or tosses and turns in bed, essential oils may provide some relief on your journey to better sleep.
Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants or the “essence” of the plant. The original scent or flavor of each plant produces the smell in the associated oil. A few proven techniques can help you enjoy the calming benefits of specific essential oils.
Types of essential oils to improve sleep
Research suggests aromatherapy and foot massage with essential oils can help improve sleep in healthy people and people with various illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Although mixed essential oil blends have been tested, lavender oil by itself has been researched the most with sufficiently designed trials.
A recent study revealed that aromatherapy was very effective when used to treat insomnia. Most notably, the study found that single essential oils were more effective than blends and that lavender oil performed better than other essential oils. There are a few other types of essential oils that also aid in sleep quality.
Lavender oil
Lavender oil is consistently among one of the top-performing essential oils when it comes to helping people sleep through aromatherapy.
One study found that inhalation aromatherapy with lavender oil improved sleep quality and quantity, quality of life and mood in test subjects with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and insomnia.
According to another study, aromatherapy with lavender essential oil proved to work as a mild sedative. It also revealed that lavender oil increased the amount of deep sleep in each subject and that each subject reported feeling more energized the morning after lavender oil was administered.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil is another go-to essential oil for those looking to feel more rested and rejuvenated. As more people become aware of the benefits of essential oils, more studies emerge pointing to their therapeutic properties.
In one alternative medicine study, inhalation aromatherapy with lavender oil and peppermint oil proved to increase sleep quality for cancer patients. Notably, the efficacy of both the lavender oil and peppermint oil was the same.
Orange oil
Inhalation aromatherapy isn’t the only method for using essential oils. When diluted with a carrier oil, you can also massage these oils directly onto the skin. This method is helpful for anyone feeling acute muscle or joint pain since the oil is targeting that specific area.
A recent study using aromatherapy with foot massage found that massaging sweet orange oil increased sleep quality for patients on hemodialysis. This helped improve symptoms of their restless leg syndrome.
Another study with hemodialysis patients found that aromatherapy with sweet orange oil increased sleep quality and decreased the level of fatigue in all patients.
Best pure essential oils for sleep
Handcraft Blends Lavender Essential Oil
This bottle from Handcraft Blends offers 4 ounces of pure lavender essential oil at a competitive price. As you only need a few drops for any use, customers are overwhelmingly happy with the value they get. Add a few drops to your diffuser or mix with a carrier oil for extra relaxing massages and baths.
Sold by Amazon
Now Foods Organic Peppermint Essential Oil
Now Foods offers pure USDA Certified Organic essential oils in addition to their line of beauty, health and wellness supplements. Their peppermint oil is strong on its own, or you can mix it with other calming oils like lavender for a custom nighttime blend.
Sold by iHerb
Eve Hansen Pure Organic Peppermint Essential Oil
If you love Even Hansen’s skincare products, you’ll also love their USDA Certified Organic essential oils. With no additives, this peppermint oil is ready to drop into your bedroom diffuser or nighttime bath. Peppermint essential oil is also a great scent to combine with other essential oils and blends.
Sold by Amazon
Best essential oil blends for sleep
Healing Solutions Good Sleep Blend Essential Oil
This earthy blend of clary sage oil, copaiba oil and lavender oil adds a subtle sweetness to the air when you diffuse it. The childproof cap and convenient eyedropper make it safe and easy to use in your nightly routine.
Sold by Amazon
Maple Holistics Dream Essential Oil Blend
You can’t go wrong with a name like “Dream.” This sleep blend from Maple Holistics combines lavender oil, chamomile oil, clary sage oil and ylang-ylang oil for a warm and calming scent. A little of this blend goes a long way, so you’re sure to get your money’s worth.
Sold by Amazon
Now Essential Peaceful Sleep Oil Blend
For a sleepy mix of oils, this bottle combines all the recommended essential oils for better sleep. It packs a punch with orange oil, tangerine oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil, ylang ylang oil, and sandalwood blend. Each of these scents can be strong on its own but it makes for a soothing amalgamation here.
Sold by Amazon
Now Foods Let There Be Peace and Quiet, Relaxing Essential Oils Kit
With four bottles to choose from, you can rotate your nightly oil diffusion between eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint and the Now Foods Peaceful Sleep oil blend. The blend includes orange oil, tangerine oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil, ylang-ylang oil and sandalwood oil.
Sold by iHerb
Healing Solutions, Deep Muscle Relief Essential Oil Blend
This Deep Muscle Relief blend combines wintergreen, peppermint, chamomile blue, eucalyptus and camphor oils for a concentrated salve for sore muscles. Use a carrier oil to dilute the blend if you plan to massage it directly onto the skin.
Sold by Amazon
Austra Lavender & Chamomile Premium Aromatherapy Spray
A spray bottle offers a convenient way to diffuse these essential oils in your bedroom or on your linens before settling into bed. The mixture of lavender oil and chamomile oil is a combination that’s perfect for relaxing at the end of a long day.
Sold by Amazon
Best roll-on essential oils for sleep
Aromine Mend Pain Relief Essential Oil Roll-On
This roll-on blend delivers peppermint, wintergreen, camphor, blue tansy, helichrysum and chamomile oils through a coconut oil blend that’s easy to use. Customers with muscle aches especially love how convenient it is to have the carrier oil in the product already, so it’s easier to massage onto the skin.
Sold by Amazon
Aura Cacia Chill Pill Relaxing Roll-On
Take a chill pill with this aptly named roll-on essential oil blend. Apricot kernel oil acts as a carrier for sweet orange oil, lavender oil, vitamin E, patchouli oil, peppermint oil, sweet basil oil and roman chamomile oil. Users love the citrus, herbal and minty scent.
Edens Garden Roll-on Stress Relief Essential Oil Synergy Blend
This blend of sweet orange, bergamot, patchouli, grapefruit and ylang-ylang can help relieve stress at the end of your day. Roll on this sweet and fruity scent to unwind and hit refresh before bed.
Sold by Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Katy Palmer writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2021 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
