It seems that the older I get the more restless I feel when traveling and sleeping anywhere but my own bed. I remember taking family vacations as a kid and having no problem sleeping at a hotel, a friend's house, or my grandparents' cabin. Now, I have difficulty sleeping, my allergies and sneezing is more obnoxious than usual, and I find it hard to truly rest.
Sometimes I make sure that I bring along familiar items like my own pillowcase and favorite snugly blanket. However, now that I'm a wife and mother I have to pack for not only myself but for them too! I want to pack as light as possible so that we're not stuffing the car full and feel like we're carrying around half of our home's belongings.
Over this last year I've slowly incorporated oils into my daily night + morning routines, either diffusing oils into the room or rubbing oils on my feet/neck/spine. I tried a variety of oil combinations and here's what I found worked best for me:
SLEEP ROLL ON:
Lavender
During my 7th month of pregnancy Matt + I traveled to Wisconsin Dells and shared a cabin with roughly 12 friends. Sleeping was difficult enough as a pregnant woman but to add to also be in a cabin with that many people I was so nervous I wouldn't sleep at all! When it was time for bed I rolled on Lavender to the bottom of my feet and I slept so soundly... I couldn't believe it!
Each night that I do it to myself at home I am out like a rock.
Try it for yourself! Just add a drop of Lavender to the bottom of each of your feet.
Any leftovers on your hands? Rub it on the back of your neck!
This is the easiest of the 3 options to travel with. If you don't want to travel with a diffuser than just make yourself a roller of Lavender and throw it in your bathroom bag.
How to make a Sleep Roller:
Add 8-10 drops of Lavender
Fill the rest with a carrier oil (I use fractioned coconut oil)
And done!
SLEEP DIFFUSE BLEND:
Lavender, Cedarwood, Peace + Calming
At home with my boys we diffuse "sleepy" oils in our bedroom about 30 minutes before we go to bed. That way, when we walk into our bedrooms the atmosphere is already set for relaxing and falling asleep. For Judah's room we only diffuse Peace + Calming. For Matt and me we diffuse Lavender, Cedarwood, and Peace + Calming. Our brains associate memory with our senses, especially smells! So when we build a habit/memory of a smell with sleep our bodies will respond accordingly, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
To make this one work while traveling that means you need to bring a diffuser. I recommend buying a cheap one from Amazon that's small enough to throw into your carry-on/duffel bag. I use this one!
BABY SLEEP MATTRESS SPRAY:
Gentle Baby and Peace + Calming
I used this combo spray with Judah from the first day he came home from the hospital. I used two oils, Gentle Baby and Peace + Calming, for a few reasons:
I used to rub Gentle Baby all over my pregnant belly! It was a smell on me that I continued to use after Judah was born so I hoped to establish a smell that reminded him of Mama.
I chose Peace + Calming because according to my oils book, "Gentle Babies", they claim that this oil works WONDERS on babies! It calms them down when you're not sure what they're crying about, it promotes sleepiness, and smells soooo yummy. I've also read at least 100 testimonials through other "oily" mamas that this works wonders for their babies too!
During the first 3 months of Judah's life I sprayed this on his mattress before every nap and bedtime. After that I switched to diffusing because his diffuser is a 3-in-1 humidifier/diffuser/nightlight. I still bring this with us when we travel whenever I don't have a diffuser with me :)
Sleepy Baby Mattress Spray:
get an amber bottle with a spray top (I used a 4oz bottle)
add 5 drops of Gentle Baby
5 drops of Peace + Calming
2 usb of Witch Hazel
Fill the rest with H2O
Comments