If you are unable to fall asleep or have trouble staying asleep, you could be suffering from insomnia. You might even find it difficult to keep your eyes closed or rest your eyes for a few minutes. This sleeplessness can last from a few days to months on end. A persistent inability to sleep can lead to serious health complications. It will also adversely affect your professional, personal, and social life. Is there a cure? The answer may lie in aromatherapy.
What causes insomnia? - Insomnia can be caused by another underlying disorder, due to changes in sleep patterns or timings of sleep, severe depression, stress, or fatigue. It can make you feel exhausted and induce muscular weakness, hallucinations, or mental fatigue. Insomnia can also be caused due to psychoactive drugs, stimulants, certain medications, hormonal shifts, general anxiety disorder fears, work problems, the abuse of prescription sleeping aids, nightmares, sleep walking, or disruptive behavior while sleeping.
How can aromatherapy help? - There is a plethora of medications available for insomnia. You can find sedatives, sleeping pill, and other hypnotic drugs to cure the disorder. However, these sometimes come with their own set of undesirable side effects. Aromatherapy is one of the best natural cures for insomnia.
Aromatic plants and essential oils extracted from the plant parts offer the best remedy for insomnia. There are no side effects except sweet sleep and rest. You can have a relaxing bath with essentials oils of Roman chamomile and geranium before sleep. These oils help you to let go of your tensions and sleep better. You can add a few drops of chamomile, lavender, neroli, rose, or majoram to your bath or sprinkle a few drops on a handkerchief and inhale.
Aromatherapy recipes for insomnia
- Combine 10 drops of roman chamomile, with five drops of clary sage, and five drops of bergamot. Take two drops of this blend and soak a tissue or kerchief and place between your pillow and pillowcase. This works wonders as you become oblivious to the day’s cares and worries.
- Mix two drops of jasmine with three drops of roman chamomile, four drops of lavender, and six drops of spikenard. Add this to a diffuser in your bedroom and enjoy the splendid aroma wafting through as it rocks you to sleep.
- You can massage your body with a blend made of equal parts of neroli ol and sweet almond oil to facilitate sleep and pleasant dreams. You can also run a warm bath with 10 drops of patchouli, sandalwood, or ylang-ylang added to it. Lemon balm is also very effective in fighting insomnia.
These natural aromatherapy essential oils are relaxing, soothing, antidepressant, and sedative. They calm nervous tension and anxiety. They are non-irritant and no-toxic. They are useful in combating shock, irritability, panic, headaches, spasms, depression, and other issues which cause inso