Using Essential Oils for Dreaming

If you are new to aromatherapy, you may not yet be acquainted with the wide variety of benefits using essential oils can provide. They have long been promoted as being able to promote health and wellbeing. Whether diffused or used topically, they can be a powerful tool for helping improve your quality of sleep and dreams. Essential oils are extracted primarily from plants. They can come from various sections of a plant from the bark, flowers, leaves, and roots. EOs have long been used by diffusing into the air, along with massage therapy, and a variety of other healing modalities. Essential oils are not new. Actually, some of them are ancient. Think for instance, about frankincense and myrrh. Others like lavender essential oil have been used in alternative medicines for centuries. Others such as patchouli essential oil are just becoming more popular. We know they make the air smell good and have therapeutic benefits, but aromatherapy s also a good way of using essential oils for dreaming and sleep transformation.

How Essential Oils Affect Your Sleep

Scents can have a profound effect on your dreams. Even bad smells have the ability to crash dreams. There are studies demonstrating that the smell of rotten eggs causes an increase in negative emotions and lead to unpleasant dreams. However, the aroma of roses increases good feelings or positive emotions and influenced having positive dreams. Smells influence emotions and certain aromas during some stages of sleep can directly influence dreams.

Which Essential Oils are Good for Dreaming and Sleeping?

Personal preference comes into play when choosing essential oils for dreaming. Lavender EO is a go-to oil that promotes relaxation, reduces blood pressure and heart rate. But it also increases alpha and theta brain patterns. Chamomile EO also induces relaxation by reducing stress hormones. Dreaming is an individual thing. For some, it is an escape from reality where they have full control. For some, it is a realm full of chaos that they just want to awaken from. Others do not dream at all. Essential oils

Control Nightmares Using Essential Oils

Nightmares occur during REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement. They can lead to fearfulness, horror, anxiety, or distress. Usually, these sensations occur during the latter part of the night and sometimes causes the sleeper to awaken. Most of the time, people say they can remember the dream once they wake up. For those who have night terrors or nightmares often, they are afraid to go to sleep for fear of having another one. Using essential oils can help calm the nervous system down and help you relax. By reducing stress, you can go to sleep and unwind easier.  Some of the essential oils proven to help with sleep disorders like nightmares include:

• Lavender EO eases anxiety and helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Sandalwood EO is a potent relaxant that helps ease the nervous system so you can relax.
• Rose EO can help stop nightmares from interrupting your sleep. Rose also works well with other oils like patchouli EO, and sandalwood EO to promote deeper and calmer sleep. Rose has a calming effect that helps to relax the mind before sleep.
• Vetiver EOhas a calming effect. When nightmares stem from something physical, this should be your go-to oil.
• Jasmine EO has a flowery, sweet scent that helps you sleep deeper and promotes pleasant dreams. A few studies have indicated that jasmine is as effective as some of the most conventional sleeping aids at helping people fall asleep and stay asleep.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Rid of Nightmares

This first recipe is an excellent relaxant. Put a teaspoon of coarse sea salt in a small bottle and then add the other ingredients. Mix it all together and breathe in the aroma that comes out of the bottle. Take three slow, deep breaths. Do this right before bed to reduce the chances of having a nightmare.

• 1 drop of Ylang-Ylang or chamomile EO
• 1 drop of geranium EO
• 4 drops of orange EO
• 4 drops of lavender EO
• 10 drops of bergamot EO

Aromatherapy Bath Oil for Sweet Dreams

Mix these ingredients in a small dark glass bottle. Use it in your bath just before going to bed.

• 2 drops of cedarwood EO
• 12 drops of lavender EO
• 30 drops of sandalwood EO
• 125 ml of your favorite carrier oil

Scent Inhaler for Sweet Dreams

Mix equal amounts of these ingredients together in a jar. Before going to bed, inhale the blend twice.

• Clary sage EO
• Anise EO
• Mugwort EO
• Clove EO

Sweet Dream Linen Spray

 Here is a linen spray you can make yourself to help you get more restful sleep filled with pleasant dreams. Here are what you’ll need to make the linen spray.

• 4 ounces of witch hazel
• A 4-ounce spray bottle
• 28 drops of mandarin EO
• 40 drops of lavender EO
• 12 drops of cedarwood EO

Instructions:

1. Pour witch hazel into the spray bottle until it’s almost full.
2. Add the essential oils.
3. Let the oils and witch hazel sit for at least an hour so they meld together.
4. Shake well and spray your bed down with the linen spray to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Ways to use Essential Oils for Dreaming

You can use essential oils for dreaming by diffusing them into the air. You can use a blend of effective oils or choose the oil that works best for you. Sometimes, you may need to experiment with them to see which one(s) work best for you.  They can also be added to a carrier oil like sweet almond or coconut oil and applied topically. Usually, they are rubbed on the soles of your feet, the wrists, or on the back of the neck.