Sweet lavender dreams

Here is a very short, sweet hint for enhancing your sleep experience:

(1)  

Buy a bottle of lavender essential oil.

(2)  

Sprinkle 2-3 drops on your pillowcase 

right before you go to bed.

(3)  

Turn out the lights, 

lie down under your covers, 

close your eyes, 

and take some deep breaths.

Lavender essential oil is very safe.
Most people can put it directly on their skin
-- without diluting it in a carrier oil --
with no adverse effects.

My daughters and I sometimes massage lavender essential oil into our temples
and along our hairline when we have a migraine.
If you massage lavender essential oil right into your hairline,
it can be a powerful sleep aid, too.

*******

P.S.  Please make sure that you are not allergic to lavender before you try any of this.  It would be good if you determined that you like the scent pretty well, too.  You may not love it at first; as with coffee, the appreciation for lavender often evolves over time.  So don't count it out if you are not in love with it right away.  However, before you slather it on your person or your bed, make sure it isn't a scent that you "can't stand".  A word to the wise.

Valerian as a sleep aid

I am no doctor.

All I know is, I like to browse in the natural health section of grocery stores.  Some women like to shop for shoes.  I like to shop for herbs.  To each her own.

Long ago, one day whilst I was browsing among the herbal remedies, I came across an herb called “Valerian.”  The bottle said, “Natural sleep aid.”

Since I often struggle to fall asleep, I bought it.  Why not? I thought.

It worked. 

It is a most amazing sleep aid, because it doesn’t make you drowsy or sluggish in the morning.  You just fall asleep peacefully and wake up refreshed.

I wondered if I were just imagining the benefits, if it was the placebo effect.  But one of my daughters tried Valerian and experienced results similar to mine.  “Mom!” she said in the morning, “I feel great!  No hazy buzz at all!”  Then I found out that my sister uses Valerian as well.  I think it really works... it’s not just in my head!

You can also drink Valerian tea before bed.  I bought a box of the tea once.  I don’t remember why I only bought it once.  We definitely drank it all up. 

Perhaps I did not buy tea a second time because of my experience with the capsules.  Valerian capsules smell really bad.  Putrid.  Fecal.  Disgusting.  When I take them, I plug my nose and swallow them as fast as I possibly can, with plenty of water.  It is hard to imagine drinking their innards steeped in a tea.

I don’t remember that the tea tasted so bad, though.  I think I would remember that.  Maybe I should go back to Valerian tea.  You do have to think a little farther ahead if you are going to drink tea before bed.  Also, it might make you have to get up and use the bathroom.

I don’t like to use Valerian too often.  I have a feeling I’d build up a resistance to it and then it wouldn’t work so well.  I try to reserve it for when I’m really desperate.  (I don't think you are supposed to use it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or give it to children.)

Have you ever used Valerian?  Do you prefer the capsules or the tea?