In this article:
Popular types
The 7 most popular essential oils
Blending essential oils by fragrance
Lavender is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils. It has a sweet floral scent with a woody or herbal undertone. Lavender oil can be used to calm anxiety. It also has a sedative effect and may help with sleep troubles, including if feelings of stress or anxiety are keeping you up at night.
Here are five of the best essential oils you can use for anxiety:
12 Essential Oils For a Better Night's Sleep
A common blend for relaxation is lavender and chamomile, which has been found to reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Everyone has their own response to different smells, so trying a few different scents or blends of essential oils can help you find the most relaxing ones for you.
Lavender is probably the best-known calming essential oil. Its soothing aroma can help relax the nervous system, and is great for relieving restlessness, irritability and insomnia. Try sprinkling a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow before bed to help you drift off into a natural, peaceful sleep.
Blending essential oils by fragrance
Frankincense Oil There is a vast number of essential oils but today, we will be focusing on Frankincense Oil, otherwise known as the King of Essential Oils. What Is Frankincense Oil? Frankincense or Boswellia sacra is obtained from the dried resinous sap that is secreted by the Frankincense tree.
A quick look at the best essential oils for stress
The best ones to help foster relaxation and sleep are Lavender, Chamomile, Bergamot, Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood. Normally you dab a bit on your wrists, rub them together and take a bunch of deep breaths, or you can add them to your bath or release the scent by buying candles with those oils.
Lavender is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils. It has a sweet floral scent with a woody or herbal undertone. Lavender oil can be used to calm anxiety. It also has a sedative effect and may help with sleep troubles, including if feelings of stress or anxiety are keeping you up at night.
Some of the best blends contain five, six, or more unique oils. However, eventually, if you add too many oils, the different notes can mix and mingle too much and lead to an undesirable outcome. Most essential oil blends will have up to four or five unique oils and as few as just two.
Olive oil is the most well known cooking oil associated with both brain and heart health. One of the reasons for this is that plant-based oils like olive oil are high in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been associated with decreased risk of cognitive decline.
Lavender oil Lavender is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils. It has a sweet floral scent with a woody or herbal undertone. Lavender oil can be used to calm anxiety. It also has a sedative effect and may help with sleep troubles, including if feelings of stress or anxiety are keeping you up at night.
Peppermint: The cooling scent of mint can leave you feeling invigorated, happy, and ready to tackle your next workout. Getting a whiff of peppermint essential oil can reduce stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and irritability -- those familiar sappers of happiness -- and boost your energy, according to Live Strong.
As one of the several essential oils with anxiolytic , or anti-anxiety, properties, lavender can create an overall calming effect. In a 2013 study , aromatherapy using a 3 percent lavender oil spray on clothing was shown to reduce workplace stress. Lavender emits a floral, aromatic scent and has many uses.
With that in mind, here are some of the best mood-boosting scents and what fragrances you can find them in.
Dr. Block advises against diffusing lavender and tea tree oils because of the potential complications, particularly in children and teens. Pregnant women and people who have hormone-related medical conditions such as diabetes should talk to their doctors before using essential oils topically or with a diffuser.
Lavender oil Lavender is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils. It has a sweet floral scent with a woody or herbal undertone. Lavender oil can be used to calm anxiety. It also has a sedative effect and may help with sleep troubles, including if feelings of stress or anxiety are keeping you up at night.
“In fact, breathing in the particles released by the oils may actually trigger airway inflammation and asthma symptoms,” she says. “The strong odors emitted by essential oils may contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are chemical gases that worsen air quality and can irritate the lungs.”
Inhalation is arguably the safest means of administering essential oils, and it's the fastest way to get essential oils into your bloodstream. However, it's still critical to use oils with caution… even when diffusing. When diffusing essential oils, always: Diffuse in a well-ventilated area.
A common blend for relaxation is lavender and chamomile, which has been found to reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Everyone has their own response to different smells, so trying a few different scents or blends of essential oils can help you find the most relaxing ones for you.
Orange, grapefruit, and lemon are all energizing and uplifting scents," says Cynthia LaBonte, aromatherapist and herbalist at Newport Aromatherapy. "We associate citrus with cleanliness. Their top notes go straight up the sinuses to the head and make us feel better, fitter, and even more confident and in control."
8 Essential Oils for Love and Romance
8 Best Essential Oils for Energy, Focus & Productivity
12 Essential Oils For a Better Night's Sleep
Toxicologist Ron Kirschner, MD, also warns of their danger. "Ingesting essential oils like camphor, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil or pine oil has been associated with changes in mental states and seizures. Ingesting lavender oil can cause severe allergic reactions and pennyroyal oil can give you toxic liver damage."
While some active compounds and essential oils may potentially benefit people with COPD by clearing mucus from the lungs and opening the airways, there is insufficient evidence to support their use as a cure or treatment. However, they may help alleviate some COPD symptoms.
But is it safe to sleep with a diffuser on overnight? While there are a few safety concerns which we'll get into below, as long as you're using a high quality diffuser and high quality essential oils, there's likely no problem with sleeping with your diffuser on overnight.