Researchers are turning more and more to natural alternatives and aromatherapy has been an area of increasing interest by the scientific and pharmaceutical industries. The results are consistently showing that the use of certain scents while falling asleep aid a person to sleep deeper and longer with a higher quality of deep sleep.

"This is not news for longtime aromatherapy and herbal users," says Paula Polman, owner of Herbal Hugs Natural Herbal Therapy. "There is plenty of anecdotal evidence over the centuries of herbs and scented oils used to great effectiveness."

Polman explains that there are two main ways to incorporate scent into sleep. "The first method is with pure essential oils." She explains that perfumes and essential oils are not equal and essential oils, extracted directly from plants are the key ingredient. Perfumes are synthetic recreations of nature's scents and lack both the depth and subtlety of the real oils.

Essential oils can be used by placing a few drops of the oil on a cloth near your pillow or by aromatherapy diffusers which disburse the scent into the air. Select diffusers that are electric and on timers if possible for safe use during sleep. Never use a candle heated diffuser while sleeping.

"The second method is with the use of dried herbs in a Dream Pillow," Polman continues. This is a small fabric pouch or pillow, filled with specific blends of herbs to induce sleep or even to trigger certain types of dreams. The pouch is then slipped into the pillowcase or under the pillow near to the sleeper's face.

Scents that have been clinically tested with moderate to good success include lavender, jasmine, valerian, hops, and rose. Scents can also play a role in poor sleep. Lemon is one such example that has been tested and proved to reduce sleep quality.

Studies also seem to indicate that the scent is most effective when used when falling asleep but once in a deep sleep, the olfactory senses turn off. Studies on smoke and fire show that the pungent smell of a burning home does not generally awaken a sleeper in deep sleep. Aromatherapy helps us to relax and prepare for sleep, resulting in a higher quality sleep overall, but appears to have little effect on us once we're asleep.

So if you have trouble getting to sleep at night, instead of reaching for sleep medications, try a few drops of lavender or a valerian-hops herbal dream pillow instead. Fall asleep relaxed and thinking of sweet dreams to come.

References:

Morin CM, Koetter U, Bastien C, Ware JC, Wooten V. Valerian-hops combination and diphenhydramine for treating insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Sleep. 2005 Nov 1;28(11):1465-71.

Lee IS, Lee GJ. Effects of lavender aromatherapy on insomnia and depression in women college students. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2006 Feb;36(1):136-43.

Raudenbush B. WJU Professor and Students Find Jasmine Odor Leads to More Restful Sleep, Decreased Anxiety and Greater Mental Performance. http://www.wju.edu/about/adm_news_story.asp?iNewsID=539&strBack=/about/adm_news_archive.asp

Komori T, Matsumoto T, Motomura E, Shiroyama T. The sleep-enhancing effect of valerian inhalation and sleep-shortening effect of lemon inhalation. Chem Senses. 2006 Oct;31(8):731-7. Epub 2006 Jul 20.

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Motomura N, Sakurai A, Yotsuya Y. Reduction of mental stress with lavender odorant. Percept Mot Skills 2001; 93:713-718.

Lee SY. The effect of lavender aromatherapy on cognitive function, emotion, and aggressive behavior of elderly with dementia. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2005 Apr;35(2):303-12.

Carskadon MA, Herz RS. Minimal olfactory perception during sleep: why odor alarms will not work for humans. Sleep. 2004 May 1;27(3):402-5.