The research says that young adults need approximately 8 hours of sleep.
Physiologically, adolescents and young adults tend to have a delayed circadian preference and are “night owls”. Existing evidence does suggest an association between sleep and GPA. Students who obtained more sleep (long sleepers, ≥9 hours) had higher GPAs than short sleepers (≤6 hours): GPAs were 3.24 vs 2.74 on average. More evidence exists to support an influence of sleep patterns rather than sleep duration on GPA. (1)
Using herbs and essential oils as a central nervous system sedative means that the herb or oil has the ability to help you relax and, in this case, fall asleep.
The lengthy list of central nervous system sedatives in essential oils include:
Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides), German chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Opopanax (Commiphora guidotti), and Patchouli (Pogostremom cablin). The components that are relaxing in Lavender are linalool and linalyl acetate. Vetiver, opopanax and patchouli are grounding and have an earthy aroma. Studies found that german chamomile has CNS relaxing qualities, the aroma is herbal and fruity.
Some ways to use essential oils for sleep.
I love diffusing lavender for 30 minutes before bedtime or using a linen spray to help nod off to sleep. Vetiver, patchouli, opopanax, frankincense, myrrh, and nutmeg oils are all grounding. Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) can also work in blends.
Sweet orange contains d-limonene that has a calming and anxiety relieving effect which makes it a great oil for a children’s blend. You don’t have to stick with Lavender as a sleep aid when using essential oils.
Change it up by trying a blend of lavender, ylang ylang and vetiver in a carrier oil. Or if patchouli is too strong, try blending with cedarwood and opoponax in a carrier oil. Any of these blends makes a good inhaler to keep by your nightstand.
Everyone has preferences to what essential oils they like and dislike, for instance, I would much rather drink a cup of chamomile tea than use German chamomile essential oil in a blend. To me the oil overpowers blends and is offensive, and that is the beauty of aromatherapy, there are so many different oils to choose from!
I love chamomile tea.
Chamomile tea, lavender, and patchouli sachets, along with valerian also work in the herb side. Valerian has that unique smell that some find offensive, so it is nice to blend with a better smelling herb. Skullcap and passionflower are nice additions to tea blends.
Happy blending,
Crystal.
1. Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D. (2014). Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Nature and science of sleep, 6, 73–84. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S62907.
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PSALM 136:1