After reading my previous blog post: “Holistic Treatments for Insomnia Part 1- Lifestyle Change“, you are now in the right mindset to discover a new, healthier and balanced version of yourself and sleep like a baby. I am just about to show you how to achieve your goal with the most pleasurable natural therapies ever- aromatherapy and massage, or even better- an aromatherapy massage! Aromatherapy is an alternative approach to relieve stress-related conditions, such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety. It uses essential oils from trees, flowers and herbs, to stimulate the senses and promote a sense of well-being. The pleasing aromas of essential oils can also help to put a person in the right frame of mind and condition to sleep.

 

Moreover, some essential oils like for example: Verbena and Lavender (or Lavandin) help fight tense muscles and overall tiredness that we tend to accumulate not only because of streneous physical activity, but also computer work and other 21st century gadgets. If you can relieve pain and tension naturally, you will feel better and so you will attract more health and make more healthy decisions. This topic as well as emotional eating is fully covered in my book: “Essential Oils for Weight Loss (Holistic Wellness Spa at Home)“. Aromatherapy can help us embrace wellness in just a few seconds, plus it is the easiest natural therapy to learn and to apply, even by a newbie.

 

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Effective Insomnia Treatments

Some of the most popular essential oils to relax the mind and help cure insomnia are:

• Chamomile
• Jasmine
• Lavender
• Sandalwood
• Lemon balm
• Neroli

The oil extracts from these flowers are non-toxic and non-irritating. Chamomile, lavender and jasmine, in particular, are known for their soothing and relaxing aroma. The oils are also used to treat various conditions, such as colds, nerves, indigestion and insomnia.

 

Since I love citric scents, my favourite essential oils for better sleep and overall relaxation are:

• verbena
• bergamot
• mandarin

 

I like to add a drop of verbena to my night cream as it helps regulate skin sebum (my skin has sightly oily tendencies) and it also helps me cure headaches and migraines (yes!). A gentle facial massage with a drop of verbena or bergamot oil can do real wonders to your overall health.

 

When using EO on your face for the first time, make sure you test it on your forearm first to make sure there is no allergic reaction. Verbena and bergamot are pretty strong and so they should be used in weaker concentrations, especially in case of sensitive complexions and facial treatments. Make sure you avoid direct sun exposure up to 12 hours after employing essential oils.

 

How to Use Essential Oils and Embrace Wellness (no space for Insomnia!)

Essential oils should not be used in their pure form, as they can cause an allergic reaction. This is why it is recommended to use carrier oils (also called vegetable oils) as a base. These include:

• Sweet almond oil,
• hazelnut oil,
• argan oil,
• apricot kennel oil
• coconut oil -falling in love with this one, even though I used to be a skeptic!
• and many more, as long as they are natural and organic, you are good to go!

 

Aromatherapy can be performed at home. Just mix a few drops of your chosen essential oil with some vegetable carrier oil and do an intuitive self-massage (will teach you all about how to blend oils in just a minute) or put the mixture in your bathtub and immerse yourself in a relaxing and calming bath. Find particular oil that helps you get a good night’s sleep. Lavender and chamomile are known for having sleep-inducing qualities, while jasmine has sedative and antidepressant properties that are suitable for insomnia caused by anxiety and depression.

 

Other relaxing essential oils are:

• ylang ylang,
• sweet marjoram
• clary sage.

 

Ylang-ylang is also a very effective aphrodisiac, especially recommended for female frigidity.

 

It is worth mentioning that some essential oils are contra-indicated for insomnia: Clove, rosemary, basil, black pepper and cinnamon, can be actually more stimulating than calming, and some individuals may find it difficult to fall asleep after treatments with the above-mentioned oils.

 

Aromatherapy for Insomnia Recipe: Try Cleopatra’s style aromatic bath

•  How to prepare an aromatherapy bath and optimize its therapeutic effects:
• Add 5- 8 drops of your aromatherapy oils (in total) to a glass of milk. Add to your bath only when the water is not running. Breathe in and relax!
• Take a relaxing aromatherapy bath before bedtime.
• Try to burn some scented incense sticks, or oil, to encourage better sleep.
• Some people go as far as placing a few drops of their favorite sleep-inducing essential oils on their beddings or pillows.

 

Aromatherapy-Preucations

Make sure that you use organic products; there are many synthetic versions of aromatherapy oils and their chemical ingredients may be very detrimental to health as well as a lack of therapeutic properties. Aromatherapy is not only about aromas but also certain natural ingredients that get absorbed into the circulatory system via the skin. This is why going for chemical aromatherapy products is actually very far from healing, natural therapies. Aromatherapy is very similar to phytotherapy, however the first one, in most of the cases is applied topically. There is also a branch of aromatherapy called: Phytoaromatherapy, or The French School of Aromatherapy/ Clinical Aromatherapy also called Aromatology and it teaches you how to use essential oils by digesting them. This form of application gets often rejected by some aromatherapists but after trying it myself and learning all about it, I can personally attest to its affectiveness and safety (when used properly).

 

Aromatology for Insomnia: The basic guidelines to use aromatherapy internally

 

1. Make sure that you research the brand

(you should do it anyway, even if using essential oils topically).  Most essential oils that are sold these days are not to be digested. However, if you go for brands like Pranarom (I highy recommend it) and chemotyped essential oils, you follow guidelines and preucations- you are good to go. Pranarom even has essential oils in capsules that are 100% safe and it has actually become one of my favourite natural remedies for insomnia. They also offer other combinations of EO, also in  capsules to help treat other conditions like colds and flu. You can check out their products here- easy, safe and effective! .

 

Another brand that I use and recommend for this mode of application is ESI, I think they are from Italy. I use their tea tree oil (internally) and it is now my nr 1 natural remedy to prevent colds and flu (OK, a but off topic but also interesting!)

 

2. Read the preucations

To make sure that this mode of application is safe in your case (pregnancy, medication, surgery etc).

 

3. When using EO internally, mix one drop of your chosen EO with a teaspoon of honey or cane suga

Coconut oil or oilve oil is also awesome.

 

Here’s my recipe: 1 teaspoon of coconut oil + 1 drop of Verbena EO = Sleep like a baby!

 

4. Avoid prolonged treatments

And use this method of application occasionally, unless, of course, you have consulted with an aromatherapist who is also qualified in aromatology (scientific aromatology).  There are many aromatherapists who have not done such a training and they also use this pretty superficial SPA approach (that is also awesome too, I love massage and relaxation, but it’s always good to learn new things and to grow, right?)

 

As for verbena drop on a teaspoon of coconut oil, or honey, I also use it to soothe my nerves sometimes, even though, I must tell you that my natural and balanced lifestyle, even though active is pretty much stress-free. It took me many years to create- topic for another post for the Lifestyle and Personal Development Category!

 

Cure  Insomnia with Aromatherapy Massage: Deep Holistic Healing

 

 

You can also treat yourself with aromatherapy massage. You can ask a professional massage therapist to perform this relaxing aromatherapy treatment to help you fight insomnia or you can go for self-massage. The perfect time to perform a massage treatment would be during the evening, however it can be also be performed in the afternoon, especially if your insomnia problem is becoming acute.

For aromatherapy self.massage, you will need to use a vegetable oil as a base oil. Simply fill a small utensil, a glass or a cup, with your favorite base oil and add a few drops of your essential oil (or oils, as you can also experiment with different blends).

It is important to bear in mind not to overdose with the essential oils and stick to this proportion as a rule of a thumb:

• For 15 ml of carrier oil use approximately 6 or 7 drops of your essential oil(s)
• One tablespoon is more or less 15 ml.
• Remember: For 2 ml of carrier oil you need only 1 drop of an essential oil

 

Aromatherapy Self-Massage for Insomnia

For a self-massage, one tablespoon of the base oil plus a few drops of your favorite essential oil(s) will be enough. The essential oils will get absorbed via the skin into the circulatory system and will also reach our senses via the olfactory tract.  Breathe in and observe how the fragrances can put you in a more relaxed mood.

 

As for base oils I recommend: Sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil or apricot oil. A body lotion will do as well as long as it is 100% natural (then you can use it as a base for you blends).

 

Simply massage your neck, shoulders and head. Indian Head Massage is a great massage therapy that will bring multiple benefits on a mental, physical and emotional level. Not only will it help to fight off insomnia but it will also improve your hair condition and reduce hair loss.

 

You might be interested to find out that there are certain essential oils famous for being multifunctional. Ylang ylang, grapefruit, geranium, lavender, cypress, cedar wood will work both for insomnia and alopecia (hair loss). Remember not to apply them on the scalp in their pure form as they cause irritation.

 

There is also an Ayurvedic Aromatherapy Approach and it teaches you how to choose the best essential oils to treat your dosha imbalances and speed up healing. I recommend the book:

Ayurveda Spa (Ayurvedic Spa and Essential Oils for Beginners)  by Elena Garcia and James Adler

 

See larger image Ayurveda: Ayurveda Rocks!: Discover Wellness and Healing with Ayurvedic Aromatherapy. Ayurvedic Spa and Essential Oils for Beginners (Essential Oils, Aromatherapy, … Essential Oils for Beginners Book 1) (Kindle Edition) List Price: Price Not Listed Kindle Edition: Check Amazon for Pricing Digital Only

 

 The Best Professional Massage Treatments for Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia

If you seek a professional massage, I definitely recommend you find a therapist who has specialized in Indian Face Massage or Neuro-Sedative Massage. Swedish Massage or any kind of relaxing massage will help you sleep like a baby. Try massage therapy at least once a week, or resort to a simple, aromatherapy self-massage at home.

 

Some massage therapists specialize in more physical form of massage, e.g deep-tissue, remedial or therapeutic etc., but if you suffer from insomnia you might want to choose something softer, something that will be working more for the mind and emotions rather than the physical body only.

 

Facial massages will always put you to sleep and they will also work wonders for your skin. Since all the beauty centers offer facials, you might be interested in trying one, as they are normally easier to find, easier to book, and can often be cheaper.

 

Reflexology is a foot massage that uses reflex points and can actually work as a full body massage.  This is a great massage therapy as well, something that I am very keen on as a patient. I see my reflexology therapist once a week at it works miracles for me. It has more benefits that you can imagine and an experienced reflexologist may be able to correct various imbalances that might be impeding your sleep, adding to stress and anxiety. Reflexology can be performed everywhere and there is no need to use a professional massage coach, which is why many reflexology therapists offer home visits. If you are too busy to visit massage salons, or simply wish to relax at home, then booking a home visit might be a great option for you.

 

Some people don’t feel comfortable with a foot massage, if you are one of them don’t force yourself into something that you don’t enjoy! Indian Head Massage might be more enjoyable for you and it can also be performed at your office or at home. It all comes down to searching for a therapist in your area and booking a session to try it. It doesn’t have to be every day, but try to treat yourself in moments of tension. Prevention is very important as well.

 

If you travel and don’t have the time, space, or too many aromatherapy ingredients on you, I suggest you chose your favorite essential oil and simply put a couple of drops on your wrists or on your pillow.  Breathe in deeply and enjoy!

 

The gentle, intuitive self-massage, with aromatherapy oils, will help you release tension and relax your body and mind. Experiment with aromatherapy and use it as your home spa ritual. Aromatherapy is undoubtedly a very pleasurable therapy to try and it brings immediate relief.

 

To learn more about  massage visit my old blog: https://qiartabodymind.wordpress.com (my local project)

 

I also recommend you check out my aromatherapy books to learn more about this amazing therapy- I will show you my easy, step-by-step super relaxing, holistic home spa set-up!

 

 

Check out  my aromatherapy series (kindle and paperback) “Create Your Holistic Wellness Spa at Home” and choose your guide here.

 

If you want to check out aromatherapy products that I recommend (Pranarom), please visit: The Product Section of this blog.

 

Thanks for reading this post, I hope to see you in the part 3 (coming soon!),

 

Until next time,

 

Link to this post: Holistic Treatments for Insomnia Part 2: Aromatherapy and Massage