9 Essential Oils to Sleep and to Relax.
Posted on September 10, 2025
In a nutshell:
- Essential oils have been used for hundreds of years
- Their purpose was to serve in religious ceremonies, to heal, and to perfume
- It is important to check that they are absolutely pure and free of chemicals
- They can be diffused, mixed with carrier oils for massages, or ingested (with caution)
- 3 essential oils to sleep well
- 5 essential oils to alleviate stress and anxiety
Essential oils have been used for a very long time by various civilizations. They were used for religious, or medicinal purposes, or as fragrances.
Egyptians used them for embalming in addition to religious and medical needs. For instance, Egyptian priests burned incense in temples all day long while myrrh and cedar wood were used to preserve the bodies of the wealthy. (1)
The Hebrews kept the tradition of using essential oils when they departed from Egypt. Did you know that several oils are even mentioned in the Bible like frankincense or myrrh that were offered to Jesus by the Magi? (2)
The Romans added aromatic oils to their steam baths and used them for massages and to perfume themselves. (3)
After the fall of the Roman Empire, essential oils were associated with the devil in Western Europe. Meanwhile, the Arabs continued to explore these oils and Avicenna, an Arab physician, discovered how to extract them by distillation. (4)
Then, essential oils made a comeback in Europe as people tried to hide their strong odors because the church frowned upon the custom of bathing.
The power of essential oils is undeniable. For instance, sandalwood and thyme have been used to combat yellow fever, cinnamon to ward off typhoid fever, and lavender to fight tuberculosis. (5)
Today, as many people turn to natural remedies rather than pharmaceuticals, essential oils have made a comeback. It has become so popular that some veterinarians treat animals with them.
When using essential oils, always verify that they are pure and free of petrochemical additives that harm the health. Be wary of any added ingredients. Only pure oil is acceptable. If there are additional components, be conscious that the oil itself can facilitate their absorption through the skin.
In general, price is an indication of the quality of the product. For instance, if in 2025, you find a rose essential oil priced at USD 10,- it certainly is not the real deal. Pure rose essential oil is very expensive, between around 160 and 360,- USD for a tiny 5ml bottle depending on where it is sourced. The reason? It takes as many as 60,000 roses to make 1 oz of rose essential oil.
Your body can benefit from essential oils in three different ways. The first one is with the help of a diffuser. You fill up the diffuser with water, add a few drops of essential oil, plug it in, and you are done. The atmosphere of the room you are sitting in starts smelling nicely, you inhale the air and the particles of oil and they do their job in your body.
A second method is to use them to do a massage. You will choose an oil you like, or one that is specific to treat the issue you have at the moment. The oil, in this instance, will always be mixed with a carrying oil, such as jojoba oil or coconut oil in order to avoid burns. Yes, burns. Those oils burn. They are really powerful.
The last method which is more used in Europe than in the United States or Canada is by ingestion. You place some oil like olive oil on a spoon, add up to 3 drops of essential oil, more would burn you, and you swallow the mixture. This cannot be done with all essential oils. Some of them are too strong and would be toxic for your body. Examples of this would be wintergreen or nutmeg. It is important to be knowledgeable enough to use the oils this way.
There are quite a few essential oils that help you sleep well. An all time favorite is lavender. It is relatively cheap as an acre of lavender can yield up to 20 pounds of oil. Lavender induces sleep by bringing down blood pressure and heart rate (6). In addition to being a sleep aid, it also brings down hyperactivity in ADHD children. (7)
Sandalwood is another great oil to ward off insomnia and to promote meditation. (8) The drawback is that it is expensive. The trees, found in their great majority in India, have been overexploited. As a consequence, the Indian government authorizes only the harvesting/culling of old trees close to the end of their lives. Sandalwood is great to calm the mind.
A third oil I like a lot is vetiver. This tropical plant promotes a restful sleep. This oil, like good wine, gets more potent with age. It is so calming that it is called “oil of tranquility” in India and Sri Lanka. (9) This exquisite oil is also useful to calm anxiety. It is even better to treat ADHD than lavender. (10)
Many essential oils can be used to calm stress and anxiety: vanilla, although technically an oleoresin, is wonderful to lower stress and anxiety according to scientific research. The scent of that orchid bean is said to be so soothing that some fengshui practitioners advise its diffusion in a house or apartment you wish to sell. (11)
Another good oil for stress is Roman chamomile. It alleviates PMS symptoms and act as an antidepressant thereby helping with overwhelm. As it can also relaxes people into sleeping thanks to a compound called apigenin, it can be used both for stress and for sleep. German chamomile contains azulene which accounts for its potent anti-inflammatory action. Chamomile should not be used by pregnant women as it promotes blood flow in the pelvic area. (12)
Jasmine is another stress relieving oil. It is great for postpartum depression, to diminish anxiety, and even to have a good night sleep. One word of caution though: do not use it if you are pregnant or during menstruation as it is an emmenagogue, i.e. it stimulates the flow of blood in the pelvic area. (13)
Frankincense is also a good oil to fight stress. At the origin it is a resin but it becomes an essential oil by steam distillation. Frankincense obtained by alcohol or chemical extraction is not appropriate for diffusion. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that it has blood thinning properties. Talk about frankincense with your primary care physician before using it .
Finally, Ylang Ylang, with its delicate smell, soothes the nervous system when it is diffused. It is good for stress and overwhelm, but also for insomnia. Do not use it in too large quantities because some people can develop nausea and headaches if it is used too generously. (14)
This is not an exhaustive list of stress calming and sleep conducive oils. There are many others that do the same. The ones mentioned here are simply those I use regularly. They are really making a difference when I have insomnia or stress.
And, as alwaysI, if you are interested in testing how coaching can help you resolve your stress issues, contact me at relaxmylife.com
- Wilson, R. (2002). Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Avery.
2. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
3. Wilson, R. (2002). Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Avery.
4. Wilson, R. (2002). Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Avery.
5. Wilson, R. (2002). Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Avery.
7. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/12/06/essential-oils-can-help-adhd.aspx
8. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
9. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7949692/
12. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
13. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
14. Axe, J.; Bollinger, T.; & Rubin, J. (2016). Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine. Axe Wellness LLC.
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