Lavender, especially when it’s organic and locally grown, can make a world of a difference on your sleep schedule. When’s the last time you had a great night’s rest?
You know, the kind where you crash on the bed, fall asleep in minutes, stay asleep, and wake up feeling energized and well-rested. Or has sleep become such a rare commodity that you’ll take whatever you can get, mid-Zoom nods-off and 6 hour nights included?
Beauty isn’t the only objective when it comes to sleep. During sleep, your body releases human growth hormone to heal damaged tissues, including the skin, muscles, and bones. There is a link between good sleeping habits and improved immune function, better concentration, enhanced athletic performance, and a decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, and depression. Everyone is on the quest for better, deeper sleep, and we’ve got just the right thing to make that happen.
Lavender is one of the most popular herbs in history. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years from Egypt to France. It has made a comeback as a natural and powerful sleep supporter backed by science in recent years. Studies have indicated that lavender inhalation helps to promote feelings of calmness, and those feelings may in turn help improve your sleep quality or duration.
Set Yourself Up for Sleep
Adding lavender to your nightly routine is a great way to unwind from a long day, help clear your mind, and get you ready for sleep, but it’s not the only determinant in your sleep situation! Here are some things you can do to ensure you’re getting the best beauty sleep possible:
- Help your body adjust to the day by increasing your light exposure during the daytime and decreasing it at night. Try putting your phone or e-book aside and picking up a paperback instead to help introduce the night.
- Try to skip out on naps if you can help it. This will keep your body’s clock aligned.
- Reserve tea and coffee for the mornings or mid-day if you need an extra kick.
- Exercising throughout the day can help you fall asleep quicker and squeeze in more shuteye! One study found that daily exercise halved the amount of time it took respondents to fall asleep and it added an extra 41 minutes of sleep to their nights!
- Make your room a sanctuary for sleep – reduce bright lights at night, clean those sheets, and try a white noise machine to drown out additional noise.
How to Make Lavender a Pillar in your Nighttime Routine
You can use lavender to wind down and turn in for the night to get your most relaxing and restful night of sleep. In the US, locally grown lavender can be hard to come by, but not at Appalachian Botanical Co! Here are our favorite ways to make lavender a part of your nightly routine:
- Give Your Pillow some Lavender Love: Lavender can help you reduce your tosses and turns throughout the night. By spritzing a little lavender mist onto your pillow before bed, you’ll get a full 8 hours of continuous lavender aromatherapy to help you sleep more soundly. Lavender mist is a substance created as a byproduct of lavender essential oil distillation called hydrosol. This hydrosol contains all the sleep promoting benefits of pure lavender essential oil, but it’s gentle enough to spray directly onto your pillow or pillowcase nightly.
- Enjoy an Aroma-Therapeutic Shower: Long bubble baths are ideal for relaxing and de-stressing after a long day, but they don’t always fit into the nighttime routine. Luckily, you can create a relaxing lavender “sauna” in the shower using essential oils! Simply add a few drops of pure lavender essential oil to a washcloth and place it on the shower floor. You’ll want to keep it out of the main stream but let it catch a couple splashes. The steam will carry the essential oil up into the air creating your sauna-like spa treatment without adding an extra step to your day!
- Supplement your Self-Care Routine: Nourish your skin after a long bath or shower with a lavender-infused body cream. Try applying this organic lavender body cream after a long warm shower when the pores are still open to refresh and rehydrate my skin. Plus, you’ll carry the soothing lavender scent with you no matter where you toss or turn to throughout the night!
- Treat Your Skin to a Lavender x CBD Treatment: CBD oil is another buzz-worthy ingredient that is staking its claim in the self-care world. CBD and lavender can work hand in hand to tackle some of the biggest sleep inhibitors. The scent of lavender works alongside CBD to promote rest and relaxation. This CBD x Lavender Lotion contains the purest, cleanest, and most effective CBD and lavender sources. Just massage a small amount into the skin before bed. They’re a perfect pairing!
- Fill Your Room with the Scent of Lavender: Your room is your sanctuary for sleep. Fill your room with the scent of lavender by using an essential oil diffuser! Diffusers come in all shapes and sizes to match any space. You’ll want to ensure that you’re using a 100% pure steam-distilled lavender essential oil for restful sleep and relaxation. Don’t fill your room with any harmful chemicals.
Lavender can help you get a better night’s rest and ensure better morning rises, all without adding any extra steps to your day or unnecessary ingredients into your routine. All that, from one little purple plant.
MEET THE AUTHOR / ELIZA TALVOLA is a writer from Pittsburgh, PA who considers herself to be a conscious consumer and traveler, slow fashion advocate, and devoted foodie. She is a firm believer in creative reuse and putting people over profits, and is a long time lavender enthusiast. Her favorite product: Lavender Hand Sanitizer Spray