Lavender Sleep Aid

Need a good night’s sleep? Try these lavender sleep aid ideas to help you get some ZZZ’s.

Lavender has shown in multiple human studies to improve sleeping. There are a variety of easy ways to use this herb to help get some shut eye.

Lavender Sleep Aid Ideas

Stuff dried lavender into a sock or sachet and sew or tie it closed. Set the sack of herbs next to your pillow at night to enjoy the relaxing aroma.
Add about 5 drops of lavender essential oil to a 5 ounce cool mist diffuser and run for 20-30 minutes just before bed.
Add about 10 drops of lavender to 1 ounce of carrier oil such as jojoba, sweet almond, or coconut oil. Massage onto tense areas of the body to aid in calming the muscles and the mind.
Make a lavender tea before going to sleep: Add 1 tsp of dried or 2 tsp of fresh lavender herb to about 8 ounces of hot water. Steep about 5 minutes, strain, and drink. Inhale the delicate floral aroma while drinking this peaceful tea.

Lavender Sleep Aid Research

After 12 weeks of lavender aromatherapy, midlife women with insomnia had improved quality of sleep. From: Chien, L. W., Cheng, S. L., & Liu, C. F. (2011). The effect of lavender aromatherapy on autonomic nervous system in midlife women with insomnia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012.
A study with 42 college nursing students who had insomnia showed lavender inhalation reduced symptoms of lavender and depression. From: Lee, I. S., & Lee, G. J. (2006). Effects of lavender aromatherapy on insomnia and depression in women college students. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 36(1), 136-143.
Nighttime exposure to lavender aroma relieved sleepiness at awakening in young Japanese students. From: Hirokawa, K., Nishimoto, T., & Taniguchi, T. (2012). Effects of lavender aroma on sleep quality in healthy Japanese students. Perceptual and motor skills, 114(1), 111-122.
Aromatherapy (of lavender) has shown to reduce insomnia. From: Hardy, M., Kirk-Smith, M., & Stretch, D. (1995). Replacement of drug treatment for insomnia by ambient odour. The Lancet, 346(8976), 701.
Insomnia was reduced with lavender inhalation in this randomized study of ten volunteers over four weeks. From: Lewith, G. T., Godfrey, A. D., & Prescott, P. (2005). A single-blinded, randomized pilot study evaluating the aroma of Lavandula augustifolia as a treatment for mild insomnia. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 11(4), 631-637.
Lavender served as a mild sedative in promoting deep sleep. From: Goel, N., Kim, H., & Lao, R. P. (2005). An olfactory stimulus modifies nighttime sleep in young men and women. Chronobiology international, 22(5), 889-904.
Both mothers and infants were more relaxed after giving baby a bath with scented lavender. From: Field, T., Field, T., Cullen, C., Largie, S., Diego, M., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2008). Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants. Early human development, 84(6), 399-401.