Oils, No Oils

Peace & Calming was the second oil that got me hooked last fall on this whole essential oil thing. I thought I noticed a difference in my sleep and haven’t gone too many nights without it since Rylan started sleeping through the night in Oct/Nov.

Fast forward to this week and my very sweet husband got me the JawboneUp 24 that I have been eyeing for quite awhile. Since it’s tough to get to the gym like I used to, I want to use the Up 24 to keep better track of my steps and motivate to go for mid-day or evening walks with coworkers and my family…anything to keep moving.

The Up 24 also monitors sleep and reports on your deep sleep, light sleep and wake time patterns based on movement. I’ve only had it for two nights but the first night I followed my full essential oil bedtime regimen and last night I did not. The result? Take a look for yourself. Left used oils, right did not.

I am tired today. Really tired. And it makes sense.

Could there be other factors? Yes, absolutely. I was hot last night and Rylan coughed several times which is always amplified by the monitor–and I get nervous. I also couldn’t stop thinking about a few work projects.

The graphs also shows me that I really need to get back to a 9pm(ish) bedtime. To start the day ahead of Rylan’s earlier and earlier wake-ups my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., and I’m simply not getting enough sleep for my body. Second, under three hours of deep sleep is not sustainable. I am cranky!

Tonight I’ll try going back to my essential oil regimen and I will be eager to watch my sleep patterns in the next several days to learn what might be coincidence and what is actually helping the quality of my zzzzzzz’s.

For reference, my EO bedtime routine includes:

• Peace & Calming (3 drops) Valor (2 drops) diffusing on my nightstand until the water runs out, which is about two hours
• Peace & Calming behind my ears applied neat (no carrier oil)
• Lavender mist on all pillows (I keep a glass spray bottle on my nightstand with it pre-mixed in water)

What are your sleep needs? Have you ever tried lavender or another essential oil to help with sleep?