Sleeping Smarter with Essential Oils?

Sleep is an important portion of anyone's day, but getting high quality sleep can be a challenge for some. While adults may be impacted by a variety of sleep disorders, insomnia is one of the most common sleep complaints. Insomnia occurs when an individual has difficulty falling or staying asleep, which impacts up to one third of the adult population.¹ Natural medicinal products, such as essential oil, have become increasingly popular and may serve as a potential complementary therapy for various conditions.² So, do essential oils effectively improve sleep?

Multiple studies describe the beneficial effect that essential oils can have on sleep. Lavender is one of the most commonly studied essential oils used to improve sleep quality and has effectively improved the quality of sleep in a variety of populations.^3,4 Further, aromatherapy with lavender has also been beneficial for patients with depression or anxiety, although the evidence for anxiety is mixed.^4,5 Lavender has been noted to improve both sleep latency, the ability to fall asleep after laying down, and sleep quality.⁷ It is proposed to exert sleep-improving qualities by preventing the release of acetylcholine and affecting gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, where GABA is an inhibitory signal in the brain involved in the regulation of sleep. As a consequence, it produces a sedative effect.^6,7 Lavender essential oil also interacts with NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, and serotonin transporters, which may explain the beneficial impact of lavender on anxiety and depression documented in some studies.⁷

Although lavender has the potential to improve sleep - it isn't the only essential oil with this effect. Lavender, peppermint, and jasmine essential oils have been noted to be effective essential oils for sleep.⁶ Peppermint essential oil exerts relaxing and sedative effects, decreasing heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure - potential mechanisms behind the improvement of sleep quality.⁶ Jasmine essential oil has a similar effect on heart rate and blood pressure, likely due to its linalool content.⁸ Sweet orange, bergamot, and chamomile may also be worth trying, although these essential oils are less commonly studied.⁴

As with any remedy, aromatherapy can be associated with side effects including nausea, headache, or mild allergic reactions, although side effects seem to be uncommon.⁶ While most side effects are of mild to moderate severity, some individuals have experienced more significant side effects, highlighting the importance of appropriate use and dilution of the oils.^9,10

Overall, utilization of essential oil appears to improve the ability to fall asleep and the quality of sleep experienced by adults. Lavender, peppermint, and jasmine, or a combination of those, may be a starting point before trying other oils like sweet orange, bergamot, or chamomile.

• References

  1. Karna B, Sankari A, Tatikonda G. Sleep Disorder. [Updated 2023 Jun 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560720/

  2. Pezantes-Orellana, C., German Bermúdez, F., Matías De la Cruz, C., Montalvo, J. L., & Orellana-Manzano, A. (2024). Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being. Frontiers in medicine, 11, 1337785. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1337785

  3. Lillehei, A. S., & Halcon, L. L. (2014). A systematic review of the effect of inhaled essential oils on sleep. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2013.0311

  4. Xu, K., Wang, S., Ji, Q., Ni, Y., & Liu, T. (2024). Effects of aromatherapy on sleep quality in older adults: A meta-analysis. Medicine, 103(49), e40688. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000040688

  5. Tan, J. X. J., Cai, J. S., & Ignacio, J. (2023). Effectiveness of aromatherapy on anxiety and sleep quality among adult patients admitted into intensive care units: A systematic review. Intensive & critical care nursing, 76, 103396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2023.103396

  6. Mahdavikian, S., Rezaei, M., Modarresi, M. et al. Comparing the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint and lavender on the sleep quality of cardiac patients: a randomized controlled trial. Sleep Science Practice 4, 10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41606-020-00047-x

  7. Bruni, O., Ferini-Strambi, L., Giacomoni, E., & Pellegrino, P. (2021). Herbal Remedies and Their Possible Effect on the GABAergic System and Sleep. Nutrients, 13(2), 530. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020530

  8. Sultani A, Mirhosseini Z, Rastaghi S, Rad M. Effects of Aromatherapy with Jasmine Essential Oil on the Sleep Quality of Hemodialysis Patients. JHNM 2023; 33 (1) :61-68

  9. Posadzki P, Alotaibi A, Ernst E. Adverse effects of aromatherapy: A systematic review of case reports and case series. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine. 2012;24(3):147-161. doi:10.3233/JRS-2012-0568

  10. Pezantes-Orellana, C., German Bermúdez, F., Matías De la Cruz, C., Montalvo, J. L., & Orellana-Manzano, A. (2024). Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being. Frontiers in medicine, 11, 1337785. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1337785

Created March 2025.

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