a smellorific way to drift off to sleep
the soothing scents of essential oils elicit my ethereal senses and help me softly relax, let go and drift off to sleep. sometimes i use my essential oil blend in a little spray bottle that i spray on my pillow. other times i use one of two little pillows; one filled with rice, the other filled with buckwheat husks that i put an essential oil soaked cotton pad into. sometimes i dab some essential oil on the top of each shoulder and a dab on each temple. each of these different smellorifics ease my mind and my body and tenderly transport me into dream time.
while soothing scents may be a totally personal thing there are some that are well know for their sleepy time and relaxing powers. some blends: ** ylang ylang, lavender and tangerine ** lavender, clary sage, german chamomile and spikenard, and ** lavender, cedarwood atlas, roman camomile, bergamot, and mandarin. i also like a light rose andy musk added to my lavender. magic island herbals (rosebeads2001@yahoo.com) is a very small company that i have been buying my pillow sprays from for many years.
little clippings of fresh soothing smells from the flower or herb garden placed by the bed add a calm to the room. i grow night blooming jasmine whose scent is very different from the very sweet day blooming jasmine. the night blooming jasmine is a wonderful sleepy time scent, the other jasmine, which i also grow, is too sweet to be relaxing for me. a before bed bath with soothing oils or a warm shower with wonderful soaps is a relaxing aid and you can read more about this in the bath’spa room.
some interesting facts about the brain and smell.
from the olfactory bulb, the smell signal is transmitted to the limbic system in the brain. the limbic system is not only a memory storage area, but it also regulates mood and emotion. Since odors, emotions, and memories meet here, this is why smell elicits distinct memories and emotions.
a very important aspect of smell is that olfactory neurons make up the only sensory pathway that is in direct contact with the brain. olfactory neurons, are in contact with the limbic center of the brain. because of the olafactory’s close connection to the limbic center, feelings and emotions can be regulated, as well as memory.
another study by several hospitals in the united states, including new york’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, have successfully reduced anxiety before and during MRI scans, using scents such as vanilla, lavender and heliotropin
Though aromatherapy has been practiced for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient egyptians and the vedic culture of india, where plant extracts and medicinal plants were widely used, there is much more scientific research being done for both fields today.