If you’re like most people, you have some trouble winding down at the end of the day. It can be tough to switch off the stresses of everyday life and fall into a truly restful sleep. One way to help yourself truly relax is using an aromatherapy inhaler for sleep. It has more benefits than you might think!
1. You Might Get Less Congested
Believe it or not, inhaled essential oils can work as decongestants. Trying to fall asleep with a stuffy nose can be a real challenge. And if congestion hangs around long enough, a simple cold just might turn into a sinus infection.
If you’d rather avoid medical decongestants, certain essential oils can help clear your nose. One example is camphor oil. It’s often included in aromatherapy inhalers, some of which are prepared especially for decongestion.
2. You’re Less Likely To Get Sick
Inhaled essential oils can make you less congested, but did you know they also can act as disinfectants for your respiratory tract? Especially during cold and flu season, you often inhale viral particles. Using a supplement that disinfects your respiratory tract can kill off viral particles before they have a chance to multiply. And since inhaled essential oil particles reach as far as your lungs, they can reach the entire length of your respiratory tract.
3. You’ll Feel More Relaxed
When you use a sleep inhaler, you breathe in relaxing essential oils like lavender and chamomile. The oil molecules reach the limbic system of your brain. The limbic system is linked to your emotions, so soothing essential oils can quickly calm you.
As a bonus, deep breathing can help you feel more relaxed as well. And since most aromatherapy inhalers require you to take a series of deep breaths, they can help you to calm down before drifting off to sleep.
4. You’ll Have More Restful Sleep
If you can truly take time to relax before you go to sleep, your rest will usually be deeper. And often, having a bedtime ritual helps people turn off the stresses of the day. Using an aromatherapy inhaler can become an integral part of your pre-bed ritual. And when you combine the soothing nature of the oils with reading a book, meditating, or drinking a cup of tea, you’ll have a solid nighttime ritual!
5. It May Reduce Symptoms Of Some Medical Conditions
Though it isn’t always backed up by scientific research, essential oil experts claim that breathing in these oils can help reduce anxiety and depression, ease menstrual and menopausal symptoms, and even provide relief from some types of psoriasis. Of course, this depends on your physiology and the symptoms you have. But de-stressing is always helpful for any medical condition you may have.
6. You Might Have Fewer Aches And Pains
Just as essential oils can help you manage some medical issues, they also may help you reduce muscle aches and pains. Inhaled essential oils help you relax both on an emotional and physiological level. And when most people are stressed, they tend to hold some amount of tension in their bodies. Over time, that tension contributes to increasing muscle aches and pains. Inhaling essential oils also may help you have fewer headaches, particularly stress and tension headaches.
7. You Can Choose The Right Oils For You
Most inhalers designed for sleep include lavender, as this is the essential oil most commonly linked to sleep. However, since there is a huge variety of inhalers out there, you can look for additional oils to help you address any specific issues you have. For example, lemon oil might help reduce stress and depression. Rosemary offers support for your circulatory and nervous systems. And tea tree oil is an especially effective disinfectant and antimicrobial. Many aromatherapy inhalers include a blend of different oils, so you can likely find one with some or all of the oils you need.
Sometimes you need a whole-person solution for relaxation, and inhaled essential oils can certainly relax your mind and body. If you’re looking for a non-medical therapy to help you achieve deep, restful sleep, an aromatherapy inhaler might just help you.
