Essential Oils & Sleep

Nurturing Sleep Solutions has welcomed Saara Bain of Young Living Essential Oils to provide you some information on how to use essential oils for you and your little ones sleep. Please contact her if you have any questions about products or uses. Also, essential oils may not be right for everyone, you know your family best and if you ever have any concerns please consult your family physician!!

Hello! My name is Saara and I am a mother of two and an oil enthusiast. I also feel that I am WELL versed in the trials and tribulations of trying to help everyone in my house sleep through the night … every night!

I started using essential oils several months ago in an effort to help calm my eight year old daughter’s anxiety and help her to sleep better. We have tried many things, many of which worked wonders, and some of which fell flat. However, if you are willing to try, I truly believe that you can find an oil that will help you (and your littles) get the sleep you need!

BEFORE YOU BUY

Before you run out and buy essential oils, it is important to note that not all essential oils are created equally. Essential oils should vary in price (dead giveaway if they are all the same price) – it costs much more to make Rose oil (think of all the rose petals it takes!) versus Lemon oil. It is important to look for an oil that is 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade. I choose Young Living Essential Oils because I feel confident that their products contain no additives and are completely unadulterated. Compare companies and do your own research. Don’t just take my word for it!

OIL AND BABIES / BABIES AND OIL

Baby skin is very delicate, so it is a good idea to dilute oils before applying them to the skin (using a carrier oil like coconut, avocado oil, olive oil, etc). A good rule of thumb is one drop of pure essential oil to one tablespoon of carrier oil. You can pre-mix this and store in a glass dropper bottle for easier future application. A great place to rub oil on babies (or anyone for that matter) is their feet. However, this particular age group are very skilled at popping those feet in their mouths, so putting on a pair of socks or a sleeper over top is also a good idea.

THE MANY WAYS TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS (HERE ARE A FEW)

Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways. Some of the ways that we commonly use them are:

Diffusing: I may have a love affair with diffusers. Diffusing is one of my favorite ways to use essential oils. I am not ashamed (okay maybe a little bit) to admit that I have a diffuser in every room of our home. Simply add 5-10 drops of your favorite oil(s) to a diffuser, turn on, and you are good to go! It is important to NOT heat essential oils. Doing so will eliminate the majority of the therapeutic properties of the oil.

Topical Application: This can be done in a variety of ways. You can apply oils to the feet (and corresponding VitaFlex points), directly to the area that is causing a problem, or use them in a calming massage. Again, be sure to dilute essential oils when using them on babies and children.

Bath Water: Add 1-2 drops of essential oils to a half cup of Epson salts, swirl around with your finger and let it soak in. Then add to bathwater. Adding the oil to the salts allows for better dispersion in the water and helps prevent all the oil from just sitting on top.

THE MOMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR …

Congratulations – you have made it this far in this article! Now the moment you have all been waiting for! The number one oil recommended for calming, soothing, relaxing and potentially aiding in getting a restful sleep is LAVENDER. When in doubt – apply lavender. It is a safe and very gentle oil. It is considered the “swiss army knife” of essential oils. In addition to its calming and sedative properties, Lavender oil may help: boost immunity, reduce length and severity of colds, calm coughs, reduce fever and improve diaper rash. Roman Chamomile is another top recommendation for many of the above reasons.

Young Living developed an oil blend called Peace & Calming – and guess what, it does just that! This is our go to after school/work diffuser oil. It helps us all maintain composure after a long day! I have also applied this oil to my daughters big toe (using the VitaFlex points on her feet) before bed to help calm her fears.

In older kids (over age 5) we have also had success with Cedarwood (may help promote melatonin production) and Vetiver (may help calm and focus the mind).

Lavender is still #1 in our home and we often diffuse it combined with lemon or Cedarwood.

As I mentioned earlier – the most important thing when using essential oils is your willingness to try. Not all oils react in the exact same way in each person. My chemistry is different from your chemistry. What calms me, may not calm you in the same way. If you are not finding success with using on particular oil, try another. You will find “your” oil. I promise.

You are welcome to follow along my essential oil journey (and share in my oil triumphs and fails) at www.facebook.com/younglivingsaarabain

** Please contact Saara if you have any questions regarding products you would like to use for your little ones!! She welcomes any questions and can provide a lot of helpful information.