Cedarwood essential oil is one of my favorite sleep remedies. At night, before I go to sleep, I sprinkle a drop or two of essential oil on a tissue. Then I put it near my pillow. This trick has helped me so much that it’s a rare night that I have trouble falling asleep.
Insomnia is something that plagued me for years. It started when I was fresh out of college, and working for a newspaper. The irregular hours messed with my sleep cycle.
Then I started worrying about not getting enough sleep. This turned into a vicious cycle. Things improved, but just a little, when I left this job.
I struggled with insomnia on and off. Various homeopathic remedies worked for a time. Then I discovered essential oils. \
For me, at least, they’ve helped solve the problem, although I need to be careful about claiming they’ll do the same for anyone else. I also need to point out that I’m not a doctor. So I can’t give medical advice. Everything you read here is me sharing my story, for informational purposes only. (Despite the photo, essential oils are not safe for cats.)
Cedarwood Oil for Sleep
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I don’t use cedarwood essential oil every night. That’s because I need to give my remedies a break, or else they stop working. But I do keep it in the rotation. I love it’s soothing smell, as I drift off to sleep.
Sometimes, I use cedarwood all by itself. Other times, I mix it with another aromatic, such as lavender essential oil. Lavender is a more popular natural sleep remedy. It blends well with cedarwood. There’s also a potential advantage to using two or more oils together. Aromatherapists generally believe that this creates a more powerful synergy, compared to just using one oil.
I think they’re right. One day, I tried to make a five-oil sleep recipe. I diluted it with a carrier oil and rubbed it into my wrist. That was a big mistake. I became drowsy and wasn’t able to get much work done for the rest of the day. (Stay with me and I’ll share that recipe with you.)
Cedarwood Essential Oil Properties
Much of what we know about cedarwood essential oil comes from traditional uses. For centuries, aromatherapy using volatile plant extracts has been used to treat a wide range of conditions, physical as well as emotional.
Cedarwood oil is considered good for when you are fighting a cold or flu. According to the Plant Therapy company, Himalayan cedarwood essential oil may also be used for emotional support. Plant Therapy is where I buy a lot of my essential oils.
Scientific studies on essential oils are still in their infancy. However, the University of Maryland Medical Center website does have some information on aromatherapy, which it notes may be indicated for insomnia. More research is needed.
However, for me, I need help right now, and I’m choosing not to wait for all the studies. I like using essential oils, especially for relaxation.
Essential Oils to Promote Sleep
If you plan to use essential oils to help you sleep, cedarwood is one you may want to consider. It’s a popular oil and readily available. It’s not considered a precious oil.
Nearly every major essential oil company sells cedarwood essential oil. Below, you can see three different brands. All of them I trust, because I’ve ordered from these companies multiple times. I like to give my readers choices. I don’t tell them to use just one brand of essential oil, because I don’t do that myself.
Instead, I tell my readers about companies I trust, and I let them make their own decisions. They can use any of the oils shown below with complete confidence.
Plant Therapy Cedarwood Oil
Aura Cacia Cedarwood OilEdens Garden Cedarwood Oil
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Uses for Cedarwood Essential Oil
One day I decided to experiment. So I mixed five oils I owned together, to see what would happen. What did happen is they made me very tired. So I’ll never do this again for daytime use, and certainly not before driving. Everyone is different. They may not have the same effect on anyone else. But they made me want to curl up in bed for the rest of the day.
Essential Oils for Deep Sleep
Essential oils are very safe when used as directed. This means not taking them internally. Although there may be specific instances where this could be indicated, it should only be done under supervision of a medical doctor. For sleep, you can either diffuse your oils in a cold air diffuser, put them on a tissue or add them to a massage oil.
Essential oils are incredible strong. So you only need 3 drops for every 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. Popular carrier oils include avocado oil and fractionated coconut oil.
Cedarwood Essential Oil Recipe
Anyway, if you’re interested, here’s how to make that five-oil relaxation blend that seemed to work for me, with the addition of cedarwood oil, which makes six. But I will warn you. Don’ t use it right before driving.
Essential Oils for Sleep Blend Recipes
2 teaspoons of carrier oil. (If you don’t own any, fractionated coconut oil, is available here.)
1 drop of cedarwood essential oil
1 drop of patchouli essential oil
1 drop of lavender essential oil
1 drop of ylang ylang essential oil
1 drop of geranium essential oil
1 drop of vanilla essential oil
Mix these together and store them in clean glass jar that has a lid. Or, if you prefer, you could use this recipe and add it to a DIY body butter that you use at night. Just remember to use a 2 percent dilution of essential oil. This is approximated 3 drops of aromatic to every drop of carrier oil.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils or herbal or homeopathic remedies unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
