Sound Scent Advice from AromaTech to Ensure Sound Sleep

In our always busy 21st century, nobody doubts the importance of rest and sleep anymore. Books, informative articles in magazines and the internet teach you the tips to sleep long and well.

• Your bedroom is pleasant to look at, smartly decorated and clean. The temperature is slightly cool, between 60 and 66°F (16 and 19°C). No annoying lights or sounds distract you. You keep the sunlight out with heavy curtains. Possibly, you have a sleep mask and earplugs.
• You decorate your bedroom with two or three plants which cleanse the air. Rely on NASA to make a choice. Sansevieria, golden pothos, gerbera and spider plant are just some of the plants which will work wonders in your sleeping environment.
• Your bed has a good-quality mattress offering support to your body, and a pillow that's right for you, possibly with memory foam.
• In summer, your blankets are ideally made of soft, lightweight cotton, thin and breezy. When it's winter time, you revert to warm wool or fluffy fleece.
• You set a regular bedtime because you know the human body likes routine.
• You don't indulge in heavy meals or late night snacks before you sleep.
• Caffeine, nicotine and stimulating drugs are a no-no.
• Switch off the television 10 minutes before you go to bed to clear your mind. For the same reason, stop thinking about work or any other demanding matters. They can wait until tomorrow.
• You take a soothing bath (not too hot), or do 10 minutes of light exercise or some relaxing yoga before you catch your z's.
• You use an Aromatech cold-air diffuser and one or more of the following Aromatech essential or aroma oils.

Lavender

The calming effects of lavender are well-known. Even as you close your eyes and wait for sleep, the scent makes you dream of a vacation in the French Provence where people live at a much gentler pace. A few droplets of lavender essential oil or one of our blends containing lavender on the Aromini pad suffice to create a soothing atmosphere. With lavender, you cannot go wrong. Or can you?

Not all lavender was created equally. The genus "Lavandula" comprises more than 40 known species of flowering plants which you'll find all over the world. We use English lavender for our essential and aroma oils. Its present Latin name is lavandula angustifolia, while it's also still well-known by its older name Lavandula officinalis. Contrary to what the name suggests, this lavender originates from the Mediterranean and grows at an altitude of more than 600 meters. Extracting true lavender oil requires a massive number of flowers, making it a scarce and expensive product. This is, however, the most effective kind.

Lavandin, also known as Dutch lavender, Latin name lavandula intermedia is a hybrid. It also yields an excellent essential oil, but not as powerful as English lavender. Since it contains higher levels of camphor, it adds a sharper overtone to the fragrance.

At AromaTech, we use English lavender, the "true" species, and we don't extract our oils. They are cold pressed, which results in a much more efficient product.

Jasmine

Does the heavy, sweet scent of jasmine in a garden at dusk make you dream away? It’s a national symbol in Hawaii, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Syria, and Thailand. The genus name is derived from Persian and means gift from God. It contains approximately 200 species which grow in tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Australasia, and Oceania.

Jasminum officinale is the flower we use in aromatherapy. Its calming and soothing characteristics area ideal to help you forget stress and get better and longer sleep. But jasmine is particularly useful for restless sleepers. The renowned holistic doctor Andrew Weil of Harvard University tells us that jasmine also keeps you from tossing and turning in bed.

Lemon balm

Just like lavender, lemon balm or melissa officinalis is a plant in the lamiaceaea family. No wonder then that it shares traits with the world's best-known sleep inducer. Lemon balm, also known as common balm or balm mint is helpful against feelings of depression and anxiety.

While our lemon balm aroma and essential oil blends are almost as effective as lavender, it offers another benefit. It is an excellent mosquito repellent. Mosquitos have a powerful sense of smell which allows them to locate their prey with receptors for expelled breath (CO2) and the smell of sweat. The scent of lemon balm interferes with the signals the mosquito receives, making it much more difficult to find you and the sweet blood they so desire. With lemon balm, you'll sleep soundly without obnoxious insects bugging you.

BBQ - We're honestly not kidding you!

Other oil ingredients which will help to keep mosquitos away while offering beneficial scents are vetiver, birch tar and cedarwood. We have combined these three in our BBQ aroma and essential blend. While the name may surprise you, go ahead and trust us. Try two or three droplets on the cotton pad of your diffuser. It will send you … no, not to the kitchen, but on an imaginary trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the majestic Grand Canyon, or Yosemite Valley where slender fir trees abound.

Does the thought alone make you inhale deeply, fill your lungs with clean and fresh air? Consider that our BBQ combination can also help relieve respiratory problems such as asthma or chronic coughing. If you're suffering the after-effects of a cold, mint and eucalyptus are always effective, but BBQ may ease inhaling too and provide a relaxing and deep sleep.

AromaTech final advice

Never use too much essential or aroma oil in your diffuser. Especially in the case of oils and blends to help you fall asleep or to ensure a sound night rest, this rule is vital. Using too much would have a stimulating effect.

The flowers and plants mentioned above have aroma therapeutic uses but are also excellent in the kitchen. Please note that our oils are only to be used in cold-air diffusers. They are not for topical application and shouldn't be ingested.