Herbal Essence - The Pleasure of Lavender

Great aromas like lavender can evoke great memories and warm feelings. A fresh hot apple pie cooling on the windowsill, freshly mown grass on a warm spring day or a clean shirt taken directly from the dryer. The scents such things give off can induce a feeling of happiness, calmness and pleasantness. Clearly our sense of smell is as important in shaping our lives as seeing or hearing. However, in addition to creating great memories what else can our sense of smell do for us as far as creating a well-balanced life?

The answer is directly related to our sleeping habits. In this hectic and frantic world everyone is busy, overworked and fatigued. As a result few of us get the required sleep needed to enjoy a healthy and productive lifestyle. Without getting the proper amount of sleep each night we are effectively decreasing our lifespan and quality of life. But what has this got to do with our sense of smell? The answer is lavender.

It is well documented that the essence of lavender oil has been used as an old time remedy to help people fall asleep faster. Modern day research is starting to confirm the sedative qualities of lavender. It has been found to increase total sleep time, improve deep sleep and make people feel more refreshed in the morning. The lavender begins to work quickly so you can fall asleep faster.

Now we know lavender and our noses make a great pair, but how do we get the two together? Fortunately there are a number of ways to make this happen. For instance many aromatherapies use lavender as a base for their scents. There are also sleep mists, lavender aroma satchels and lavender bath oils and soaps. All of these items can be purchased at fairly inexpensive prices for home use. Try using a few drops of lavender oil in your bath and along with lavender scented soap. Perhaps you may prefer to slip a lavender satchel under your pillow at night or spray your bed linens with a lavender sleep mist. The combinations are endless.

So let’s use our sense of smell to benefit from the healthful properties of lavender and start getting our much deserved sleep. Sweet dreams.