Lavender aka  Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis is something I use on a regular basis for sleep. I no longer suffer from insomnia because I healed my circadian rhythm by restoring mitochondrial health. But I still love trying new things like homeopathic medicines, essential oils, vitamins, minerals and other supplements for sleep.
In this article I want to cover exactly how to use lavender essential oil for sleep, highlighting some unique ways to use lavender essential oil.
But first….
How Does Lavender Essential Oil Help With Sleep?
Lavender essential oil has been used for literally thousands of years for a multitude of health issues. Some people like it because it smells nice. Other people use lavender to help calm them down if they’re having a stressful day. Some people who are into health, personal development and spirituality may use lavender to help meditate and reprogram their subconscious mind.
There’s a million uses for lavender but for centuries most people would use lavender essential oil for sleep. Here’s how lavender can help you fall asleep at night.
Lavender oil contains linalool and linalyl acetate which directly impacts your nervous system. We’re still not sure of the exact mechanism of action but these aromatic compounds found in lavender seem to have a calming and sedative effect on your mind and nervous system.
In my experience I’ve found that many people who suffer with insomnia have a “Type A” personality. Even though you wouldn’t know it, they’re also dealing with depression and anxiety. When these folks go to bed at night, they try to control the situation rather than letting go. This causes nervousness, stress and anxiety which are all positively impacted by lavender essential oil.
In 2015 there was a study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and it showed that lavender essential oil significantly helped to improve the length of what’s called short-wave-sleep compared to the control group.
Another 2013 study in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that inhaling lavender essential oil before bed reduced heart rate variability and increased heart rate, which seems to indicate a reduction in autonomic arousal, which is often associated with better sleep quality.
What I love about studies like these is that you can use natural methods and alternative healing techniques to help with sleep issues. Most people run to over the counter sleep pills to help cure their insomnia.
My job is to highlight studies like these that are scientifically proven to help improve sleep quality with zero side effects that pharmaceutical drugs have.
How To Use Lavender Essential Oil For Sleep
I’ve been using lavender essential oil for sleep for over a decade now in some pretty interesting ways. Here’s some cool info about how to use lavender essential oil for sleep in ways you may never have thought before.
Lavender Sleep Mask
I’ve been using lavender essential oil in my sleep mask for years. Most of you know by now that I’m a huge fan of using sleep masks to block ambient blue light from nightlights, devices in your bedroom and even street lights outside of your bedroom window.
If you’re using a sleep mask already, let’s add some lavender essential oil to it. I add 2 to 3 drops of lavender oil to a cotton ball or fabric sachet that I can stuff into the small pocket of my sleep mask. This way it’s like I have my own essential oil diffuser inches from my nose.
Aromatherapy for the win!
Lavender Oil-Enhanced Pillow Spray with a Twist
Pillow sprays are pretty common and people use them all the time for sleep. I like to add 3 drops of lavender essential oil to either silver or magnesium oil and spray a few pumps onto my pillow a couple times per week.
Lavender Oil-Infused Bedtime Tea Ritual
I don’t normally drink herbal teas before bed because I don’t want to wake up to go pee any more than I have to during the night. But I do drink teas during the day. I like to add a few drops of food grade lavender essential oil to either a chamomile or valerian root tea. Drinking this warm brew under your red circadian lights an hour before bed will definitely make you sleepy.
Lavender Oil Scarf
If you have a soft silk scarf, you could apply a few drops of lavender to it and tie it loosely around your neck. This is another great way to inhale the lavender molecules directly into your lungs, brain and sinus cavity. I find it works best when you use mouth tape as well.
Lavender Bath Bombs
I’m a huge fan of medicinal baths before bed, especially in the Winter when it’s freezing cold. Nothing feels like being super cold and getting into a bath with filtered water, that has magnesium, baking soda and boron in it. I also like to add some bath bombs to it.
On top of the magnesium, baking soda, borax and bath bombs, I like to add 5 drops of lavender essential oil and soak for 20 minutes under my red lights.
Calgone take me away.
Lavender Foot Massage
Foot massage is something I highly recommend doing before bed with or without any oils. If you want to take it up a notch add 3 drops of lavender to some coconut oil and spend 2 or 3 minutes before bed massaging these oils deep into the bottoms of your foot.
Talk about relaxing. There’s something strange that happens when you get a foot massage. I can’t quite explain it. All I can say is that it feels incredible and it seems to help me go to sleep.
After you’re done but your socks on and climb into bed.
Lavender Bedtime Story
If you read before bed, I recommend reading a physical book, not an Amazon Kindle. You want zero technology or as little as possible around you in your sleep sanctuary. Now that you have your physical book, I assume you also have this red reading lamp, now add a drop or two of lavender to your bookmark. Let it dry a little by blowing on it.
Once it’s kind of evaporated, it’ll infuse every page of your book with the calming sedative aroma of lavender.
Lavender Oil-Enhanced Yoga or Meditation Session
This use of lavender for sleep is my favorite. I add 1 drop to my wrists, my temple and the back of my earlobe. Then I do 10 minutes of stretching (under red light of course) right before I start reading.
Something magical happens when you stretch before bed. I always have better sleep scores when I do it.
Which makes me wonder, why do I take breaks from it?
Lavender Oil in a Warm Compress
I don’t do this one as often as I should but you might like it. Get a small kitchen hand towel and put a few liters of filtered hot water into a bowl. Add 3 drops of lavender to that water and soak the towel in it. Make the water as hot as you can. Then wring out the towel and lie down with the warm compress over your eyes and forehead.
Even writing about this makes me want to go do one.
Lavender Sleep Socks
You can add 1 drop per food into the bottom of the socks you sleep in. This will allow the lavender oil to be dispersed evenly throughout your bed. This is really soothing to do. I do it a bit different. I usually massage the coconut oil lavender combo into the bottom of my feet. Then I’ll add 1 drop of lavender oil to the tops of my socks.
I always sleep like a log on the nights that I do it. My sleep scores always give me good messages in the morning when I check. 🙂
FAQs
I get asked about how to use lavender essential oil for sleep pretty regularly, probably because I can’t stop talking about all its benefits. Here are a few common questions I get.
Where should you put lavender oil to sleep?
That depends entirely on you. I’ve found the BEST place to apply lavender oil is massage onto the bottom of my feet and my temples.
How to use lavender oil for anxiety and sleep?
The best way to use lavender oil for anxiety and sleep is to rub it into your feet and apply 2 drops to a fabric sachet stuffed into your sleep mask. This will help you inhale the molecules all night long directly into your lungs.
How do you use essential oils while sleeping?
You can use essential oils in many different ways while sleeping. My favorites are using a diffuser in my bedroom while adding some to the bottoms of my feet.
Can I put lavender essential oil on my bed?
Yes. I like to add 3 drops to some colloidal silver (anti bacterial) spray and spritz a few pumps over my bedsheets twice a week.
Lavender for sleep side effects
Yes there could be. I haven’t had any side effects but there could be estrogenic effects if used over a long period of time when combined with tea tree oil. I would avoid using it with prepubertal boys. Some studies have suggested that gynecomastia (breast development in boys) could be a potential. There could also be skin rashes, allergies and that type of reaction so check with your
Lavender oil for sleep and anxiety
Lavender essential oil is extremely helpful for sleep, anxiety and insomnia. I use it most nights and when I do I always get better sleep scores.
How to put lavender oil on pillow
I combine lavender essential oil with colloidal silver into a spray bottle and spritz 2 or 3 pumps onto my pillow 3 or 4 times per week before bed.
Conclusion
I don’t recommend using lavender essential oil for sleep in all the ways I outlined above. I like to do one of them per night and see how I like it. For some it could be too strong, for others not strong enough. It all depends on your reaction to essential oils.
But they have been used for centuries for sleep with lots of success.
Try using them for 30 days and see how it improves your sleep!
Questions:
- Have you ever used lavender essential oil for sleep?
- How long did you use it?
- Did it help improve your sleep?
- Or did you have any side effects or reactions from it?
Comment below and let me know.
