Do Essential Oils Affect Your Dreams?

Have you ever experienced vivid dreams while using essential oils at bedtime? Perhaps you have noticed a trend linking a specific essential oil with strange dreams. If so, you are not alone.

Although essential oils being linked to dreams is not yet widely researched, many people agree that essential oils used at bedtime have an effect on the way you sleep and your dreams. Essential oils have long been associated with promoting relaxation and enhancing sleep. When it comes to dreaming, certain essential oils can also play a role in creating a more vivid and peaceful dream state. Lavender, known for its calming properties, not only helps to ease anxiety but can also promote a restful sleep, leading to more memorable dreams. In a blinded pilot study conducted in 2021, participants were exposed to lavender essential oil diffused intermittently after they were already asleep. This helped eliminate psychological expectation. All participants reported better sleep quality and more daytime vigor. EEG analysis showed decreased alpha activity (wake stage) and increased delta activity (slow-wave sleep) upon aroma release. These results suggest that the improved sleep quality is directly linked to aroma. (1)

Similarly, essential oils like chamomile, cedarwood and ylang-ylang have been used to enhance dream recall and encourage a deeper connection with one's subconscious mind. By diffusing these essential oils or incorporating them into a bedtime routine, individuals may find themselves enjoying a more immersive dream experience, allowing for a night of rejuvenating rest and inspiring dreams.

Why do we dream?

Dreaming is a fascinating phenomenon that has intrigued scientists, psychologists, and philosophers for centuries. Although the exact purpose of dreams remains a subject of debate, several theories attempt to explain why we dream. One popular theory suggests that dreaming is a way for our brains to process and consolidate new information and experiences from the day. As we sleep, our minds piece together fragmented memories, emotions, and thoughts, helping us make sense of our waking lives. Another theory proposes that dreaming serves as a mechanism for problem-solving and creative thinking, allowing us to explore alternative solutions or generate innovative ideas. Additionally, dreams may also serve as a form of emotional release by providing an outlet for unconscious desires, fears, and anxieties. (2) Despite ongoing research, the precise function of dreaming continues to fascinate all of us.

How scent impacts us while asleep

When we are asleep our brain starts to process moments that happened during the day and prepare them for memory storage. (3) Anything unexpected can trigger worry and fear which influences our amygdala. Often times, the brain is overstimulated, replaying these traumatic moments which can cause an influx of adrenaline that can disturb our ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and/or disrupt our quality of sleep. Sometimes this unconscious processing can even impact dreams and cause nightmares.

Scent can evoke strong emotions even if we aren’t consciously aware of the scents around us. Because olfactory stimuli are processed through the limbic system, it can have a strong effect on dream emotions.

A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research helped show the influence of scent and dreams. Researchers used continuous airstream of two olfactory stimuli to two separate groups: hydrogen sulphide (smell of rotten eggs) and phenyl ethyl alcohol (smell of roses) and compared to a control group without stimulation. The smell of roses yielded more positively toned dreams whereas the rotten eggs stimuli yielded more negatively toned dreams. This study helped show that the emotional tone of a dream and dream content can be influenced by olfactory stimuli. (4)

This study found that those exposed to the rotten eggs aroma had more negatively toned dreams. And those who were exposed to the smell of roses had more positively toned dreams.

For the average person, using essential oils can promote a more relaxed state during sleep and thus increase the likelihood of pleasant dreams. This can vary from person to person as we all differ in how aromatics impact us. I personally have much more lucid and vivid dreams when I diffuse essential oils during sleep. I know some people who have found certain oils produce unsettling dreams and avoid those particular oils.

Some of the best essential oils for supporting sleep are:

• Lavender

• Cedarwood

• Hinoki 

• Roman Chamomile

• Spruce 

• Vetiver

• Frankincense

• Valerian

• Sandalwood 

• Bergamot

• Tangerine

• Marjoram

To read more about these essential oils, check out my blog: The 8 Best Essential Oils for a Good Night’s Sleep.

A few ways to incorporate essential oils into your bedtime routine:

• Hydrotherapy: Take a bath or shower at night using essential oils by adding them to the bath or shower. Add a few drops of lavender to shower floor while showering. Or add some other sleepy oils to bubble bath/unscented gel with Epsom salts for the bath.

• Diffusing: Start the diffuser 30 minutes before bedtime so when you enter the room you are greeted with those sleep aromas to make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary.

• Pillow scents: Apply a drop of lavender or other calming essential oil to your pillow or make a linen spray to spray bedsheets before you climb into bed. (see recipe below)

• Topical use: Apply a sleep supporting blend to your neck and shoulders before bed. Lay down focusing on taking slow deep breaths in through your nose, exhaling through your mouth to promote deep relaxation.

• Aromatherapy inhaler: Unwind the mind before bed or evening meditation by slowing breathing in a sleep blend in an aromatherapy inhaler.

• Tossing and turning in the middle of the night: Grab vetiver or lavender and take some deep breaths from the bottle. Or add a drop to the palms of the hands and breathe deeply while cupping over the nose.

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Bedtime Linen Spray with Lavender Hydrosol

Yield: 2 ounces

Author: Holly Brandenberger

This calming linen spray will help your mind and body relax to prepare for sleep.

Ingredients

• 10 drops Orange essential oil
• 5 drops Black spruce essential oil
• 5 drops Cedarwood essential
• 1.5 ounces Lavender Hydrosol
• 2ml (approximately 40 drops) Solubol as a dispersant
• 2 oz glass spray bottle

Instructions

1. Add essential oils to glass spray bottle.
2. Add the Solubol.
3. Fill rest with Lavender Hydrosol.
4. Shake gently to blend ingredients.
5. Spray on sheets and pillow prior to bedtime.

Notes

This blend is 1.5% dilution and safe for children.

*Store in cool, dark place and use within 3 months.

Essential oils can be helpful to incorporate into a bedtime routine. Not only do certain essential oils help us unwind and relax before bed, we also start to associate those pleasant aromas with rest. This allows the our body and mind to know what to expect next which helps make this transition easier. We are then able to fall asleep, stay asleep and improve the quality of our sleep. In addition, we may have some vivid dreams while doing so!

Want to learn more about using essential oils? Check out my latest book Science of Essentials: The Essential Guide for Using Aromatherapy to Promote Health and Healing here.

Looking for more education on using essential oils for emotional health? See my blog article, The Best Essential Oils for Stress and Anxiety and 5 Tips for Using Aromatherapy for Stress Relief. 

Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user's own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

References:

1. Ko LW, Su CH, Yang MH, Liu SY, Su TP. A pilot study on essential oil aroma stimulation for enhancing slow-wave EEG in sleeping brain. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1078.

2. Payne JD, Nadel L. Sleep, dreams, and memory consolidation: the role of the stress hormone cortisol. Learn Mem. 2004 Nov-Dec;11(6):671-8. doi: 10.1101/lm.77104.

3. Rasch B, Büchel C, Gais S, Born J. Odor cues during slow-wave sleep prompt declarative memory consolidation. Science. 2007 Mar 9;315(5817):1426-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1138581.

4. Schredl M, Atanasova D, Hörmann K, Maurer JT, Hummel T, Stuck BA. Information processing during sleep: the effect of olfactory stimuli on dream content and dream emotions. J Sleep Res. 2009 Sep;18(3):285-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2009.00737.x. Epub 2009 Jun 22.