If a smell is too strong, it can keep you awake. If it is pleasant and soothing, it might enhance your sleep. The sense of smell is very personal. Find scents which you find calming and relaxing. (E.g. perfume, candles, lavender essential oil, white flower oil)
Sleep is refreshing and crucial for good health. It is as important as food and air. Most people need between 7.5 to 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Quantity and quality play both important roles. If you press the snooze button on the alarm in the morning you are probably not getting enough sleep.
What are some practical ways to use these scents to enhance your sleep?
Put your favorite smell into a packet under your pillow. ( e.g. lavender)
A few minutes before bedtime, spray your bedroom with a light fragrance containing your favorite scent.
Add a few drops of your favorite aromatic to the rinse water when you're washing your bed sheets
Use detergents and fabric treatments that contain a scent you like.
After your evening shower or bath, apply a soothing body lotion containing your sleep enhancing scent.
There are many scented products on the market that have been formulated to help you enhance your sleep. Next time you have the opportunity, test them for yourself.
If scent alone will not put you to sleep, you might want to put some additional thought into how to enhance it. The most important factors in getting a good night's sleep is to keeping regular hours and creating an atmosphere and environment conducive to sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time each night, and get up at the same time every day. The best time to go to bed is when it starts to get dark. Small variations might be taken in account, depending on the seasons and light conditions. Try to go to bed only when you are sleepy. Also, if you can't get to sleep for over 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something boring in dim light until you are sleepy. Keep your bedroom at comfortable temperature--not too warm and not too cold. Generally, cooler is better than warmer.
Practicing meditation on regular basis promotes deep and restful sleep and increases levels of natural melatonin. For maximal benefit, try to meditate for twenty minutes to half an hour before you go to sleep using the technique that feels most comfortable for you.
Body Breath Training:
Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight, but not stiff. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present.
Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, and the air entering your nostrils and leaving through your mouth. Pay attention to the shape, tempo and strength of each breath.
Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them, but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.
Now, scan every bodypart. Pay attention to temperature, heaviness, blood flow, muscle tension or any other feeling you might experience.
If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, refocus on your breath and a specific body part (e.g. the feeling of heaviness in your left arm). Remember not to be hard on yourself if your mind wanders.
As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Take a breath-in and gradually get-up.
If scent alone will not put you to sleep, you might want to put some additional thought into how to enhance it. The most important factors in getting a good night's sleep is to keeping regular hours and creating an atmosphere and environment conducive to sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time each night, and get up at the same time every day. The best time to go to bed is when it starts to get dark. Small variations might be taken in account, depending on the seasons and light conditions. Try to go to bed only when you are sleepy. Also, if you can't get to sleep for over 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something boring in dim light until you are sleepy. Keep your bedroom at comfortable temperature--not too warm and not too cold. Generally, cooler is better than warmer.