Dear Reader,
It’s well-known that lavender oil has a very calming effect on the mind and the body.
In fact, as I just mentioned yesterday, research shows inhaling lavender essential oil can help men and women control their blood pressure.
And now, another new study has found it can even help women improve their menopausal symptoms—and their sleep.
Increased quality of life in just 27 days
This new study involved women ages 48 to 65 years who had entered menopause at least one year prior and had a clinical diagnosis of insomnia.
Prior to the start of the study, all the women answered questions about their menopausal symptoms—including anxiety and depression symptoms. They also all underwent a sleep study that collected individual data on:
- Sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep)
- Total sleep time
- Sleep efficiency (the ratio between the time a person spends asleep and the total time dedicated to sleep)
- Waking after sleep onset
- Percentage of time that participants spent in different stages of sleep
Then, the researchers randomly divided the women into two groups…
The first group got 29 glass bottles filled with sunflower oil (a carrier oil) and a few drops of lavender oil. The second group got 29 glass bottles filled with just sunflower oil. And they both received instructions on how to inhale the oil before bedtime.
(NOTE: There wasn’t enough lavender oil in the bottles for the women in the first group to detect it when inhaled. That way, neither group would know which group they had been placed into.)
Both groups also received guidance on how to improve their sleep hygiene and had weekly follow-up sessions.
Then, after 27 days, on average, the researchers checked back in on the women. It turns out, all of them experienced an improvement in sleep quality over time. (Of course, this finding isn’t surprising since making adjustments to sleep hygiene can have a big effect. And I’ve discussed some simple ways to improve sleep hygiene in the past.)
However, only the women in the lavender group experienced a “significant decrease” in:
- Sleep onset latency
- Sleep efficiency
- Depression levels
- Hot flashes
- Other postmenopausal symptoms
In my view, those results were particularly remarkable, especially when you consider the tiny amount of lavender oil used. So—just imagine the effect on symptoms when you use a therapeutic dose that you can actually smell!
In addition, we should note that this study focused specifically on postmenopausal women and the effects of lavender. But in my view, everyone—including men—can benefit from adding some aromatherapy to their daily regimen.
In fact, a lot of research shows that lavender oil—in combination with orange, peppermint, eucalyptus, chamomile, and limonene—helps men and women of many different ages and stages in life improve their sleep, anxiety, and depression. Indeed, that very combination helped my daughter get good sleep during her pregnancy.
Check out my “ultimate sleep guide”
Of course, during these troubling times as the pandemic rages on, it’s really no surprise that sleeplessness is on the rise. Not to mention, insomnia becomes even more of a problem as we age.
To learn more about how to improve your sleep without the use of dangerous drugs, check out the March 2021 issue of my monthly newsletter, Insiders’ Cures (“My ultimate guide to getting a good night’s sleep—naturally”). If you’re not yet a subscriber, now is the perfect time to get started.