For most of us, we spend nearly one-third of our lives sleeping, but for others, sleep doesn’t come as easily for a myriad of reasons. If you’re not keen on seeking medical aid to get some rest, there are some essential oil blends made for sleeping.
Why We Sleep
A good night’s sleep is worth its weight in gold, but why? There’s been a lot of research dedicated to finding the answer, but the answer is a multi-faceted one. It’s broken down into the following:
Inactivity Theory – Some scientists believe that sleep is an evolutionary adaptation for survival. The theory goes that animals that were able to stay inactive and still for long periods of time had an advantage over those that spent their time mostly awake. Animals who slept at night didn’t get themselves into precarious situations as often as those who stayed awake. They were able to stay away from predators who hunted at night by staying safe in their burrows or caves.
Energy Conservation Theory – It was seen as a way for those animals that had fewer resources to expend less energy by spending half of the day sleeping. This dramatically reduces the energy expended by their bodies, especially when food is scarce. Metabolism is greatly reduced when your body is asleep because less energy is used to keep your body temperature warm.
Restorative Theory – The body takes the time you spend sleeping to rejuvenate itself by releasing growth hormones and doing tissue repair. When scientists did a test that deprived animals of sleep, they found that those animals would quickly lose their immunity and die within a few weeks of persistent sleep deprivation.
Brain Plasticity Theory – One of the more plausible reasons is that the brain takes the opportunity to reorganize itself and our memories when we’re asleep. Similar to what a computer does when it reformats data to make retrieving later both quicker and easier. Sleep has proven to perform an important role in the development of a child’s brain, which explains why children under five years of age can sleep as much as 15 hours a day. This theory is further supported by the fact that adults who are sleep-deprived exhibit great difficulty in learning and performing a variety of tasks.
Though these theories have not been completely proven, they do underline the importance that sleep has on our health, both mental and physical.
Tips on Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
If you are having difficulty getting a good night’s rest, especially on weekdays when the demands in your daily life take a toll on you, here are a few tips to help you get that much-needed sleep:
Sabai arom’s Essential Oil Blend for Sleep
The calming and pleasant scents of essential oil can help you relax and drift off to slumber in less than 20 minutes. That is why we at Sabai arom created our unique ‘Sleep Well Essential Oil Blend’ that promotes sleep by using a special blend of essential oils. The mixture of lavender, ylang-ylang, chamomile, eucalyptus, bergamot, and sweet orange come together to help lull you to a peaceful slumber.
Here are a few tips that will help you reap the benefits of our essential oil blend:
- You can inhale directly from the bottle or add 3 – 5 drops onto a cotton ball and take a deep breath.
- By using an aromatherapy diffuser and adding 5 – 10 drops into the water 20 minutes before you plan to sleep and allow the room to be filled with a calming scent.
- Be sure to turn down the lights 30 minutes before you plan to sleep. Warm lights help to calm your senses and put you in the mood for a good rest.
- Avoid playing with electronic devices like mobile phones or the TV an hour before you plan to sleep. Try reading a book instead.
- Play some soft music while you close your eyes in a dark room and slowly drift off to sleep.
Sabai arom has a range of essential oil products that can help you improve both your physical and mental health. Speak to our aromatherapists to find out how we can help.
