Thrive Nutrition Practice: Essential Oils for Sleep
Between my first and second child I suffered a miscarriage. And shortly after my miscarriage, I developed allergies to dust and dust mites. In retrospect, I would say that both of these events in my timeline were symptoms of total and utter depletion.
Over the course of the next three years, my allergies became completely debilitating. My eyes would constantly feel like they had sand in them. They would look red and puffy and I hated going out first thing in the morning in case people thought I spent the whole night crying. My nights were horrible. I would cough and splutter and wheeze. I’d end up sleeping on the couch so as not wake up my husband or keep him from sleeping.
I couldn’t really function without anti-histamine and in my desperation to actually get a good night’s sleep, I got totally hooked on these powerful anti-histamine/sleeping pills that the doctor gave me to help knock me out.
After a month of taking those pills, I realized that my baby brain was ridiculous. Mornings, in particular, were a haze. I couldn’t remember conversations I would have with people. My anxiety was off the charts. So, I went to the toilet and flushed the magic sleeping pills away.
Then I cried.
Voila the low point in my life: me sobbing and kneeling in front of the porcelain god wondering how on earth I was going to get to sleep from now on; how on earth I was going to get off the couch and back into my bed.
Enter nutrition and my wonderful father who like an angel from heaven introduced me to the life-saving world of essential oils. (Papi – you’re the best!)
If you can’t sleep at night because you are wheezing, coughing or suffering from allergies — the combination of a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods together with essential oils can be your saving grace, as it was mine.
Here is what I would do come bedtime and I’m really excited about sharing it with you today in case it can help you too.
THRIVE’S ALLERGY-BLAST ESSENTIAL OILS MIX
Cup your palm and drop in the following essential oils.
- a few drops of jojoba oil (or coconut oil)
- 3-4 drops eucalyptus oil
- 3-4 drops peppermint oil
- 3 drops lavender oil
- 2 drops thieves oil
- 2 drops lemon oil
ADULTS: Vigorously rub your chest with the mix using both hands. And then cup your hands over your nose and mouth and inhale deeply a few times.
This little oil mix basically stopped my wheezing in the bud and opened up my sinus passages so that I was able to breathe and get a sound night’s sleep.
WHY THESE OILS?
- Jojoba is a good base because it has no scent and is well absorbed by the skin.
- Eucalyptus is great for expelling phlegm and has immune boosting properties.
- Peppermint is – in my experience – the most powerful at cutting through mucous blockages and opening the sinus passages.
- Lavender oil is soothing, reduces anxiety and helps with sleep.
- Thieves from the Young Living line of essential oils is a blend of 5 therapeutic grade essential oils. It supports healthy lung and sinus function.
- Lemon oil is great for soothing coughs and helps with lymphatic drainage.
N.B. As a rule, you should always try to buy essential oils that are 100% pure so that you can be sure they haven’t been diluted with any nasty ingredients. I have used Young Living and Aromis in the past with great results. But in case you are thinking of ever ingesting essential oils, I believe the only ones that been FDA approved for this purpose belong to the Young Living line.
It took time – a few years actually. But today I can say hand-on-heart that I haven’t used anti-histamines for over two years. My allergies are just gone. I don’t even need to use this essential oil mix at nighttime any more, which frankly, was kind of getting in the way of other bedtime activity! That mix is so potent it makes your eyes water!
But essential oils are a wonderful, natural way to help with allergy symptom relief. They can also help you live clean is so many other ways and I will definitely be organising a workshop so that we can all learn how to maximise their use. This little remedy is but one of so many.
So if nighttime coughing and wheezing are getting in the way of your sleep, consider using essential oils. Together with a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, they could help raise your immunity so that you can enjoy a beautiful night’s sleep.
Cristina Tahoces is a holistic nutritionist and owner of Thrive Nutrition Practice. Please join her Facebook group “Thrive Nutrition Practice” for daily articles, recipes, promotions on professional grade supplements and upcoming workshops.
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