We are always looking for new ways to stay healthy and more often than not, being under a lot of stress can make staying healthy quite difficult. Because of that, we’re constantly trying to find the next big thing that can help us cope with and relieve us of stress.
It is known that our sense of smell is closely tied to our emotions and memories. A single whiff can take us back in time and make us relive that period. Considering how powerful the sense of smell is, we’ve decided to explore the world of essential oils. If smelling something can make us feel good, by that logic, essential oils should be very useful in an everlasting battle against stress. Well, it seems like that just might be the case. Today, we’re going to explore the world of essential oils and aromatherapy. We’re going to talk about how they’re used, when and where you can use them and take a look at their catalogue of health benefits.
How can you use essential oils?
Aromatherapy has been rising in popularity over the last few years. As a result of that, there is more than one way to reap the benefits of the essential oils. The wonderful thing about them is that you can enjoy them passively, meaning you won’t have to engage in any activity in most cases and you’ll still manage to benefit from it.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can include essential oils in your daily life virtually seamlessly.
Candles
Candles are arguably one of the best ways to enjoy aromatherapy. Certainly, the easiest and simplest way to reap the benefits of essential oils is to light up the candle, scent up the whole room and just go on with your day. They create this overall soothing atmosphere, similar to incense sticks, which is great for meditating, relaxing or just having it burn in the background while you work. Unlike incense sticks, they don’t give off a lot of smoke, so they’re slightly more appropriate for virtually any setting.
Diffusers
Aromatherapy diffusers evaporate essential oils and spread the scent through the air, similar to what a candle might do. Some even do so with the help of candles. However, it more common for a diffuser to be battery powered. It’s a fairly effective way to turn a room into a soothing oasis.
Body Products
You can wear essential oils like perfume if that is what you might want. Although, it won’t be as potent and you’ll probably be the only one that will be able to enjoy the smell. Body products either come in the form of lotions or oil.
Massage
It’s said that if you’re not using essential oils when you’re getting a massage you’re missing out. Massage is relaxing and therapeutic even on its own, so you can only imagine how good it must feel when you put the two together.
Clearly, there are a lot more uses for essential oils, but we wouldn’t want to bother you too much with it. However, if you’d like to know more, you can always check this and learn a little bit more about it. We’d like to move on to the benefits.
1. Reduces Stress
One of the most common and often talked about the benefits of the essential oils is the calming effect it has on the body. Whether it is lavender or bergamot oil, the pleasant aroma does wonder for our body. It reacts with our brains and reduces our stress level. Just by doing that, we’re helping our body in a big way. Stress affects everything in our body and too much of it can cause serious health issues – from headaches and skin breakouts to life-threatening diseases like cancer.
2. Promotes Better Sleep
One of the best and most seamless ways to add essential oils into your life is to add a few drops into a water bottle and then spray that onto your sheets and pillows. You can go with any oil you want, but we’d recommend lavender. This should allow you to relax when it matters the most. This should enable you to fall asleep faster and ultimately improve the quality of your sleep as well.
3. Reduces Anxiety
One of the main problems of modern society and the fast way of life is the fact that way too many people are dealing with anxiety on daily basis. Some are even virtually crippled by it. Luckily, some of the essential oils like sweet orange or lemon for instance are known to help soothe anxiety symptoms making it easier for people to deal with it. However, it’s important to notice that aromatherapy, however great, is not a replacement for regular anxiety therapy nor should it be treated as such. It’s not a miraculous thing – it’s just helpful to some extent.
4. Helps With Nausea
One of the most common symptoms associated with stress is the feeling of nausea and uneasiness in the stomach area. We all know how stomach aches can be uncomfortable and crippling, so it’s good news to know that there are natural remedies to help with it and that some of them come in the form of oils and candles.
5. Improves Focus
Feeling uneasy and stressed can significantly impact our ability to focus on whatever we’re doing or supposed to be doing at the moment. It’s said that essential oils, especially rosemary, help tremendously with retaining focus and improving concentration. Even if you’re not having issues with concentration, per se, boosting it when you need to work on something certainly won’t hurt.
6. Helps Clear Sinuses
Not being able to breathe through your nose or having to blow it every five minutes can be really annoying and stressful. Nose drops aren’t meant to be used for an extended period of time, so it’s good that there are things like eucalyptus that can help us cope with it.
It’s important to know, that none of these are benefits aren’t scientifically proven. All of this is based on experience and claims of people who have used it. A lot of people agree that aromatherapy is beneficial but strongly advise against it being the only form of therapy in case you need one.