** A guest post by Amber from Amber's Intuition
Do children ever stop?
I mean… that time of night… every night… it starts. Finish dinner… relax as a family… brush teeth… potty… pajamas… and BAM
“I don't have to go sleep in my bed!!!” between sobs and massive tears streaming.
Bedtime routine never seems to fail… one or all of you end up upset in a saga that never seems to end.
I can't be the only one with a boy who refuses to sleep. The constant rushing around all day long, you would think they would be ready to pass out at the first sign of sunset (or pillow)… Not so much.
Well, hello, 2am. We meet again.
Sound familiar?
There is something about bed time and falling asleep that feels like running an iron-man triathlon. Until we started using essential oils.
Why Essential Oils?
- They are affordable and have profound effects
- We wanted to try something truly natural
- We wanted something we could use everyday, without worry
- We hoped to find something that would actually help our boy sleep better, for longer
- We were looking for something more cost-effective
- We wanted something we could easily travel with
So we started on our essential oils journey, not expecting much to change. I was honestly cynical and continually tried to convince myself that this sleepless, stressful life is what my family was just destined for. Nothing was working. Nothing was changing. Our doctors scoffed at the thought of incorporating natural solutions. But I saw some massive changes in a friend who embraced the natural, nontoxic lifestyle, which gave me a glimmer of hope. It gave me some serious insight, and in a night of serious desperation needing sleep, I thought we'd give it a try.
I'm so glad to have taken that leap of faith!
For the first time in what felt like forever, my little boy actually went to bed at a decent time. No fussing. No fighting. No wild craziness. Just snuggle up in bed to go to sleep.
For the first time in what felt like forever, my little boy slept through the night, in his own bed!
(If you have a strong-willed child, I'm sure you can relate to my relief, my tears, and my shock.)
Could this seriously be real? Is it really this easy? How is it possible to have something work so well be scoffed at by our doctors?
I was expecting some complicated, involved process. But nope. We dripped a few drops of essential oil into the diffuser, turned it on, and bam. Everyone (including me) calmed down. My son got ready for bed, laid down, and went to sleep. Its 9:30 pm and he is asleep!!! Seriously???? Hell yes to being able to actually spend an hour of QUALITY time with my husband!! Do ya'll sense my immense excitement over this???
So, what happened the second night?
Oh my Good Lord, it happened again. My son. Happily. Went. To. Bed.
It really was just that simple. It really was just that easy. Drip a few drops of this oil into a diffuser, fill the rest with water, turn it on, and hello sleepytime.
So, naturally, I added a diffuser to my bedroom too. You guys!!! This calming sleepy blend works on exhausted mamas (and daddys) too! I don't remember the last time I was able to sleep through the night, or wake up feeling refreshed. No pill popping Ambian hangover here!
Essential Oils for Sleep
Not saying essential oils will absolutely be life-changing for you… but they definitely were for my family, and I am so thankful for it. If you've tried everything else and were disappointed in your experience, like we were, then I definitely encourage you to take the chance and see if these little bottles of awesome are right for you.
** PLEASE NOTE ** Don't be fooled by clever marketing. Not all essential oils are created equally. Make sure you're not wasting your money on fake or altered essential oils (even if they're labeled as “pure essential oil”). Don't miss our explosive report outlining the dirty little secrets of the essential oil industry to ensure you're not wasting your money on brands of oils that legally mislead you through deceitful marketing practices.
DIY Essential Oil Blends:
Taking the DIY approach to mixing your own essential oil blends can be a bit time-consuming at first, but definitely worth it. This Peaceful Child blend, for example, is invaluable to us! – if you triple the recipe, you can add it to a 5ml bottle (without the carrier oil) and use it for the diffuser too – or drip it into a homemade lotion for a lovely, relaxing cream or lotion.
And this “Sleep Better Than A Baby” essential oil DIY blend is one we definitely cannot manage without! This right here is the blend that made me spin my wheels all night long, wondering when my little boy was going to come tumbling down the stairs in an “I don't want to sleep” rage, or at least climb in bed with me to completely take over any sleeping space I was awkwardly comfortable in.
But that didn't happen. He soundly slept all night long. The next night, it happened again. Only the second night, I allowed myself to accept that he might actually sleep in his own bed again. I was curious and applied the blend to myself too and quickly drifted off. I slept better than a baby. I slept through the night, worry free.
I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT
I'm sure if you know exactly how big of a deal that is. Sleeping through the night without staying up worrying about when the boy was going to join me or have a late night energy burst or tantrum.
- Incredible.
- This mama's prayers have been answered.
And it really was that simple. It was as simple as adding a few drops of oil to a “carrier oil” (which dilutes the oils… like coconut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil… etc… any seed based oil) into a jar or bottle with a roller top. It was as simple as a quick back or foot massage. It was as simple as dripping a few drops into the diffuser. And BAM! We ALL enjoyed another peaceful night.
If you decide to diffuse these, I recommend no more than 6 drops of oil total for diffusers in bedrooms. Otherwise it can become too strong. When you're just starting out, only 3-4 drops are needed, depending on the size of room you have.
Pre-mixed Essential Oil Blends… without the DIY:
One of my favorite things about Young Living, where I get my essential oils from, is that they have a large amount of essential oil blends already pre-made. Hooray for saving time and saving more sanity!!
My favorite pre-made essential oil blends are:
- Hope
- Peace and Calming
- Stress Away
- RuTaVaLa
- Tranquil
Hope is an essential oil blend, pre-diluted with almond oil (meaning, you don't have to dilute this one, though we usually do dilute as normal anyways). Hope contains melissa, juniper, myrrh, and spruce essential oils. It helps you push through emotional blocks and helps you restore your hope for tomorrow. We love diffusing this at night during those tough times. The next morning always seems to be a bit lighter as I'm ready to take on another day. This is the blend that really helps me to love my life and see the positive things that go on.
Peace & Calming is made of tangerine, orange, ylang ylang, and blue tansy essential oils. As the name suggests, “it peaces you out and calms you out” (from the mouths of babes, lol). Peace and Calming essential oil blend helps you relax and really does create a deep sense of peace and emotional wellbeing while uplifting your spirit. Maybe that is why it works so well with my boy. Being a caretaker of an autistic child is one thing… I can only imagine what he goes through in his own head. Thankfully, this oil blend works wonders for him!
Stress Away essential oil blend is one of those blends you should never leave the house (or stay in the house) without! My “5 o'clock somewhere” in a bottle without the alcohol impairment or buzz. Stress Away comes in a diluted roller bottle, and also in a concentrated 15ml bottle. It contains copaiba, lime, cedarwood, ocotea, and lavender essential oils with a little vanilla extract.
RuTaVaLa also comes in both a concentrated vial and a diluted roller bottle. I love the roller bottles! No need to make my own! RuTaVaLa contains lavender, valerian, and ruta essential oils. It is designed to relax you and is soothing to the mind, body, and soul. It induces sleep, and helps rejuvenate you physically.
Tranquil essential oil blend only comes pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil in a roll-on. Tranquil is a blend of lavender, cedarwood, and roman chamomile. This blend helps with relaxing and relieving stress. It combats restlessness and seriously decreases jitters.
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About Amber:
Amber is a stay at home mom of a beautiful 5-year-old girl and 7-year-old autistic boy. She manages all the struggles of being a disabled Navy veteran, military spouse, and special needs mom with grace and love. While life throws curve balls and she becomes stressed, like everyone else, she is an incredible pillar of strength, and I am truly humbled to be her friend and in complete awe of her strength.
Have You Started Using Essential Oils Yet???
If not, you need to! Seriously. I was nervous when I started with Young Living. I understood their quality, but $165 for a starter kit seemed to be too much for my budget. I put it on my credit card anyways (of course now they accept PayPal too), having felt the difference between a couple cheaper oils and theirs, and I'm so glad I took that dive, and you will too!It was seriously the best investment I've ever made! I mean come on… how much is a good night's sleep worth to you?? (for both you and your child). For me, it was priceless!
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