Feeling a little like I’ve had my wings clipped lately, I decided to look into other ways to escape life or enhance a feeling of freedom during lockdown.

I turned to the power of dreams and lucid dreaming.

I have always been an active dreamer, flight, messages, travelling, vivid scenarios and feelings have been a feature my whole life.

Lately, I have looked into the use of essential oils to enhance the dream state and to aid in lucid dreaming. My findings were certainly interesting….

 A study by Marquis d’Hervey Saint-Denys (19^th Century) revealed that specific smells could directly affect dream content. They are also (as many of us know) tied to our emotions that are linked to certain locations, people, memories and points of time. This also suggests that dreams can be manipulated and maybe even controlled through scents and essential oils.

In 2008 another study was done where volunteers were exposed to two different smells while sleeping. Rotten eggs and rose. The rotten eggs resulted in negative dreams and the rose promoted more positive ones. This result was the same in almost 100% of participants.

 The following oils are fantastic for creating sleep blends, supporting sleep in a variety of ways.  

 Clary Sage – Aids relaxation and helps reduce anxiety

Mugwort- Promotes out of body, helps boost memory and keeps you in a conscious dream state for longer.

Rose – Promotes relaxation and groundedness before bed.

Lavender – Encourages deep sleep and is a mild sedative

Sandalwood –  Can increase melatonin, heightens intuition, boost memory and promotes mental clarity.

Rosemary – Aids memory recall and cognition.

Peppermint – Increases concentration and reduces negative thoughts

Valerian Root – Can induce lucid dreaming, intensify dreams, aids sleep onset

Jasmine – Similar affects to lavender

Clove – Can promote restfulness, relieve anxiety, combats fatigue and promote positivity

Frankincense – Spiritually uplifting, improves recall, impacts dream clarity

Angelica Root – Known to enhance clairvoyance, removes bad energy protects from nightmares

Chamomile – Is soothing, sleep educing, releases depression and insomnia.

Lemon Balm – Can induce more active dream states, promotes relaxation and is calming.

Helichrysum – Has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes inner calm

Patchouli – Good for pre-bed lucid dream routine, can relieve nervous tension

 Based on the research, a good sleep blend is a personal thing. It should combine oils that can help with relaxation, cognition, recall, reduce anxiety and promote deep sleep but it is also important that it smells good to you. The scent of the blend you create should be a scent you enjoy so that it can impact your dreams positively. Whether you diffuse while sleeping or combine your blend with a carrier oil and roll before bed, essential oils can effectively influence your experience.

Happy Dreaming.