A Few of My Favorite Things: Restful Sleep

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is what oils will help promote a better night's rest? There are a number of options available to choose from for your preferred protocol. Let's talk about a few of my favorites.

One of the great ways you can prepare your body (or your kids') for a restful night's sleep is by enjoying a warm, relaxing Epsom salt bath. This is my favorite DIY bath salt recipe.

2 cups Epsom Salts

½ cup baking soda

8 – 10 drops YLEOs of choice

Kit Oil Suggestions: Lavender, Stress Away, Citrus Fresh, Copaiba, Raven, PanAway

Other Favorite Options: Orange, Joy, Peace & Calming, Rosemary, Release, Cypress

Mix the Epsom salt & baking soda in a non-plastic bowl. Add the YLEOs and mix well.

To use, pour into warm bath as you're filling the tub. Use 1/2 cup for large garden tub, 1/4 cup for standard tub.

FOR BEDTIME: from the above suggestions use Lavender, Stress Away, Copaiba, or Peace & Calming.

There are lots of wonderful diffuser blends that help promote a good night's rest. Here are a few favorites:

What's my personal, bedtime protocol? Easy peasy!

I rub 2 drops of Lavender between my palms, then I rub my palms over my pillow and rub any extra over my face, neck and chest. Instant aromatic and topical benefits! I find that Lavender helps quiet my thoughts and as I relax, I drift off to sleep.

I also apply a bit of Cedarwood to the bottoms of my big toes (one of the places that you can apply and oils will cross the blood-brain barrier the fastest). I find that Cedarwood promotes a restful night's sleep for me throughout the night.

Lately, I've also enjoyed adding the blend Dream Catcher to my sleep routine. I apply Dream Catcher to the bottom of my big toes and the center of my forehead when I crawl into bed and it's a GOOD night, sleep tight kinda night! I've had some pretty amazing dreams, too... Our youngest son (age 15) used it and slept restfully for 14 hours!

Three Honorable Mentions:

Roman Chamomile - when this oil comes back in stock, RUN and get as many bottles as you can! Wonderfully relaxing, this is definitely a favorite!!!

Valerian - this oil may not be your favorite smell, but if you're needing extra support, apply it to the bottoms of your feet, wear socks and sleep tight!

A member favorite supplement that many people add to their ER orders monthly because of the way it promotes restful sleep for them is SleepEssence.

While kids certainly benefit from using oils such as Lavender, Peace & Calming and Gentle Baby, Young Living developed a nighttime oil just for younger oilers called SleepyIze. (But we won't tell if you decide to use it for yourself! Adults love it, too!)