Aromatherapy Can Lead to Deeper Sleep AND Lucid Dreams
Learn How to Use Essential Oils for Better Sleep
If you’re interested in lucid dreams and more specifically in experiencing them for yourself, one of the first things you need to do is “create the right environment” for lucid dreaming. Part of this (and arguably the most important part) is ensuring you get the deepest REM sleep possible. This, as they say, is where the magic happens.
Marilyn Reid, owner of the website Taruna Oils, knows a lot about essential oils and aromatherapy. She has agreed to share the article below with readers of Dream Prophesy. I know you’ll enjoy this article as much as I did. The article details how to use essential oils for better sleep, which is of course, vital to lucid dreaming.
Using Aromatherapy For A Good Night’s Sleep
by Marilyn Reid
Do you toss and turn all night or possibly even have trouble drifting off to sleep altogether? Do you wake up in the morning groggy and discombobulated due to poor rest? If so, you can continue this pattern, turn to dangerous pharmaceuticals or begin utilizing aromatherapy.
Obviously, using essential oils for an aromatherapy treatment is the best choice on the list. You surely do not want to continue having restless nights and the side effects of sleep aid pharmaceuticals are quite concerning if you read the warnings. While you need to follow directions regarding safe use of essential oils, they are far safer when used properly than drugs.
Lavender – The flowers and the essential oils distilled from this plant are a wonderful choice for those suffering from anxiety and stress. The sedating effects are also ideal for those plagued with sleep troubles. An added bonus to having this essential oil in your medicine bag is the skin healing properties when applied to burns, bites and acne breakouts.
Roman Chamomile – Be careful when purchasing this essential oil because there are other types of chamomile that are less effective for sleep and more so for other ailments. The Roman variety has a peaceful floral fragrance that blends well with lavender and some other oils.
Ylang Ylang – The floral fragrance of this oil has hints of fruit as well. It can be used alone or blended with the two previous oils. It complements them well by improving the quality of your sleep.
Marjoram – While you may think about cooking when you hear marjoram, the essential oil has benefits outside of the kitchen. This particular oil will relax your muscles while soothing your entire nervous system. The sedating effects reduce hypertension as well.
Bergamot – This cold-pressed oil can help balance your emotions. Unlike other citrus oils, it has a calming effect that can benefit your sleep-inducing efforts.
Frankincense – Many ancient cultures used frankincense, including the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. The oil contains incensole acetate, which relieves anxiety and depression. If you are having sleep troubles related to emotional disturbances in your life, frankincense is an excellent choice.
Other potentially beneficial oils for your sleep problems are valerian root, vetiver, clary sage, cistus, spikenard, rose, neroli, sandalwood and cedarwood.
High-quality essential oils can be found online and in your local health food store. Read about the various companies to find one with a good reputation and affordable prices. If a company prices all of their oils the same, it is a red flag. Some simply require more raw product to create, raising the price accordingly.
In addition to investigating the manufacturer, you should make sure you are purchasing from a reliable retailer. Read online reviews to find out about their customer service and products.
Once you have the oil or oils, you are going to use for sleep induction, you will need to decide how to incorporate them into your nightly routine. One option is to add several drops to your bath water or in the shower. When taking a shower, block the drain and drop the oils into the water, allowing the steamy medicated water to relax your mind and body. Another option is to keep a diffuser in your room. Follow the direction on the package. You can massage a diluted form of the oil into your skin or have your partner do it. The touch is soothing and can help to stimulate the absorption of oils into your system. Some of the oils on this list, such as lavender, can also work directly on tense muscle tissues when applied in this manner.
Keep track of which oils and methods are most effective for helping you to get the rest you deserve at the end of each day. You will soon have the right combination incorporated into your nightly routine. Then, good sleep is yours for the taking!
Also See: How to Have Lucid Dreams
Lucid Dreams in 30 Days: A Step By Step Guide
How You Can Have these Fascinating Dreams
All dreams (prophetic dreams, recurring dreams, dreams about snakes, dreams about exes, etc..) are fascinating. Even nightmares are fascinating, in their own way. Yet the type of dreams that seem to fascinate and mystify people the most are Lucid Dreams. While we could use thousands and thousands of words to explain Lucid dreams and lucid dreaming, I think it’s usually best to keep things as simple as possible – so, I like to define Lucid Dreams like this: This type of dream is one that seems and feels so REAL, the dreamer is convinced it HAS TO BE REAL. The colors in lucid dreams are more vivid, the sounds clearer, and the emotions deeper.
Is it any wonder everyone wants to experience lucid dreams?!
Books have been written detailing how you can experience these dreams for yourself – or, more to the point – they tell you all the steps you need to take to put yourself in the perfect position (frame of mind) to experience lucid dreaming.
One of the clearest, easiest, and most effective programs is defined in glorious detail in the book Lucid Dreams in 30 Days, Second Edition: The Creative Sleep Program by Keith Harary, PH.D and Pamela Weintraub.
For individuals who want to experience lucid dreaming for themselves (and do so on a regular basis, even), this should be the first (and probably last) book they buy. The information is based on years of research from, literally, around the world and includes breakthrough techniques developed by world renown psychologists and dream researchers.
Book Description:
With this volume you will learn to explore the mysteries of your sleeping self. Beginning with simple steps such as keeping a dream journal to record your dreams, Keith Harary, Ph.D., and Pamela Weintraub take you step-by-step, day-by-day through the lucid dreaming process. You advance to realizing when you are in a dream state, waking up “in” your dreams, and eventually, actually controlling the content of your dreams.
About the Authors:
- Keith Harary is a research director of the Institute for Advanced Psychology in Tiburon, California.
- Pamela Weintraub is an author and journalist who specializes in health, biomedicine, and psychology. She is currently a consulting editor at Psychology Today and executive editor at MAMM magazine, and has served as editor in chief of OMNI and staff writer at Discover, Weintraub has written hundreds of articles for many national publications, including Redbook, Ms., McCall’s, Audubon, and Health, to name just a few. She lives in Connecticut.
See Lucid Dreams in 30 Days, Second Edition: The Creative Sleep Program for a look inside this fascinating book.
How to Have Lucid Dreams
Tips to Increase Your Chances of Lucid Dreaming
When I’m trying to explain lucid dreams to someone, I always tell them that a lucid dream is a dream that seems too real to be a dream – too good to be true. Everything in a lucid dream is more intense than in regular dreams.
In lucid dreams:
- Feelings are more pronounced
- Details are more vivid
- Blues are bluer, reds are redder, greens are greener, etc
- Everything, absolutely everything, is more intense
Some experts believe that you’ll never fully understand what a lucid dream is until you have one for yourself. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding these dreams – some dreamers aren’t sure if they’re dream was was a lucid dream or not. Some dreams may be borderline but, know this, if you have a lucid dream, you won’t have any doubts about it.
So the question that remains to be answered is this, “How can you make yourself experience lucid dreams?”
If only it were that easy. What we CAN do is set the stage for lucid dreams and create the right environment for lucid dreaming. Below are tips and suggestions that’ll put the odds of experiencing lucid dreams greatly in your favor.
How to Have Lucid Dreams
As I said below, the answer to having lucid dreams lies not in a simple one-and-done solution but rather in a series of steps that will improve your chances for inviting lucid dreaming. It’s all about becoming more in touch with your dreams. Think of it like this: You have to make a big deal of your dreams. The bigger the better!
- Keep a Dream Journal to improve your chances of having lucid dreams. I probably give this advice more than any other when it comes to dream interpretation and lucid dreaming. While keeping a journal requires a little more work on your part, it is so worth it in the long run. A dream journal helps you understand your dreaming patterns, can help you sort through emotions, sets the stage for lucid dreaming, and… let’s face it.. can provide fascinating reading material as the days, weeks, and months go by! Keep in mind, a dream journal will probably not be something your write in every single morning. Some dreams simply don’t stand out. You” write in your journal when either “pieces” of a dream stand out to you or dream symbols register with you. Some mornings, your dream journal may be as simple as one sentence. Example: “In my dream last night, Rosie was crying and I didn’t know why.” Keeping a dream journal will program you to pay more attention to your dreams, help you retain information, and (as I said above) make a big deal out of dreaming.
- Set the stage for lucid dreaming right before you fall asleep. Each night (or anytime you’re lying down to sleep), think of dreaming as you drift off. Ask yourself, “I wonder what I’ll dream about tonight…” Some people even like to “invite” dreams by telling themselves, “I will dream of a hot air balloon tonight!” or “I will see my brother in my dream tonight…” Some use code words and fixate on these words right before falling asleep. Basically these words are the dream symbols they wish to dream about. Again, it’s all about making a big “to do” about dreams and dreaming. The thought, here, is to think about dreams before you go to sleep and to think about dreams first thing upon waking.
- Use dream registers. Another trick for becoming more in touch with your dreams – and a way to connect your waking waking world with your dream world is to use “registers.” What are dream registers? These are something I, myself, coined the phrase for. The thought of having “registers” that connected the waking world with the dream world has always fascinated me. Whenever something we are passionate about in our everyday life shows up in our dreams and “registers” with us, it is a fascinating connection. For example, if you are passionate about baseball (one of my own greatest passions!) and have a dream where you are excited about a baseball game, it feels “right.” It’s as though the two worlds connected by your love for the sport. You can create your own “dream registers” and they can be colors, numbers, specific animals, or any inanimate object. Basically, here’s what you do: In your waking life (“the real world”), begin “registering” each time you see a particular thing. If you choose the color purple, for example, begin making a point of thinking, “There is purple!” each time you see the color. If you choose squirrels, each time you see one, think (or even say), “Squirrel!” (I’m having “Up” flashbacks now…) Whatever register you choose, stick with it! Also, it’s best not to choose more than one – although the temptation is great, choose one reigster. Person, place, thing, color.. your choice – just make it one. What you’re looking for is this, you want to “register” it such a regular basis that you begin “registering” it in your dream. When this happens, you have made a very vital connection between the two worlds and are WELL on your way to lucid dreaming.
- Positive Re-Enforcement. Many people swear by telling themselves such things as, “I will remember what I dream tonight.” and “I will have a lucid dream tonight.” I’ll be totally honest, I’ve never had success with this, but enough people have for me to list it here.
- Get into… way into.. dream interpretation and analysis. Well, you’re certainly in the right place! Use our dream dictionary to help solve the mystery of your dreams. You’ll also find our dream color guide and meaning of dream numbers page useful. You can also find countless dream symbols and dream interpretations on the dream blog, itself.
- Create the Scene, Ambiance, and Atmosphere that’ll invite lucid dreaming. To experience deeper sleep and, as a result, improve your chances of having lucid dreams, you need to make sure your bedroom is as comfortable, relaxing, and sleep-inducing as possible. Using your bedroom primarily for sleeping will help a great deal. Also, try to keep clutter to a minimum and comfort to a maximum. Lavender-scented room sprays (and even linen sprays) also help a great deal. You may also want to check out this wonderful Lucid Dream Herbal Bath and Candle Set. Remember, though, never go to sleep with candles burning. Blow them out before you lay down – the aroma will remain in the room long enough to help you fall asleep.
- A lot has to do with timing. Our most vivid dreams (which certainly include lucid dreams) occur during REM sleep (the deep sleep characterized by Rapid Eye Movement). A dreamer’s first REM phase usually happens about an hour and a half (or 90 minutes) after first falling asleep. Additional REM phases typically occur every 90 minutes afterward. Many experts suggest programming yourself to awaken during REM sleep, when you are most likely to vividly remember your dream, THEN try to fall immediately back to sleep and “jump” back into your dream. Did you know that you can encourage your body to have more REM sleep simply by keeping a regular sleeping schedule?
- Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. Using the right aromatherapy with the right essential oils can help you accomplish the tip above… deeper REM sleep!
- Arm yourself with knowledge. Build a library of books about lucid dreaming (some great books are shown below) and do diligent research on the subject. The more you understand lucid dreams, the more apt you’ll be to experience them for yourself.
- One more time, the bigger deal you make of your dreams.. the more you talk about them, research them, and thoroughly enjoy them… the more apt you will be to experience lucid dreams.
How to Have Lucid Dreams with a Herbal Bath and Candles Kit
Set the Scene for Lucid Dreaming!
Most of us who are fascinated with dreams, dream interpretation, dream analysis, and the meaning of dreams are equally fascinated with lucid dreaming. Lucid dreams are dreams in which we feel as though we are very much awake. Lucid dreams seem brighter, louder, more vivid, and more alive than most dreams.
Is it any wonder so many people are asking, “How can I have lucid dreams?!”
It’s all about setting the stage and creating an atmosphere where lucid dreams are more apt to occur. I talk more about setting the stage in an article about lucid dreaming (linked to in the first paragraph above as well as at the bottom of this post) but I’d love to tell you about something that’ll help you create an atmosphere, or scene, in which you’ll invite lucid dreams into your life.
If you’re truly serious in Lucid Dreams, you’ll love the Herbal Bath for Lucid Dreams and Candles Kit pictured above. The Lucid Dreams Herbal Bath is made and hand blended with Organic wild harvested herbs and follows an old recipe, passed down through generations. It induces deep sleep with relaxing powerful scents of the aromatic herbs.
When you have deeper REM sleep, lucid dreaming is more apt to occur.
From the website:
It is excellent for you to receive answers to important questions you may have because the mixture of herbs used gives you vivid and lucid answers to these questions in your dreams. This blend contains: Rose Petals, Mugwort, Rosemary, Lavender Flowers, Chamomile Flowers, Hops Flowers, Orris root, Borage and a relaxing blend of pure essential oils. We also included two purple chime candles in the kit and a reusable cotton bag to be used with the mixture in the bath water. The contents in the jar is enough for three or four uses. You can use also this mixture to do dream herbal pillows and use under your pillow to induce fast sleep. It comes with all information you need in how to use the kit. A beautiful iridescent organza bag is included to keep your jar safe when not in use. All our hand blended herbal mixtures are blended and sealed at the time of purchase to ensure freshness.
Product Features
- Contains 1 (4 oz) jar of herbal bath for Lucid Dreams.
- Contains 2 purple chime candles.
- It will help you relax and invite sweeter sleep – the perfect environment for Lucid Dreams.
- Information on how to use provided. It comes with a iridescent organza bag.
“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” – Edgar Cayce
What Are Lucid Dreams?
If you’re interested in lucid dreams and want to know how you can have lucid dreams, yourself, see What are Lucid Dreams on Dream Prophesy. These fascinating dreams are worth the minimal amount of effort it takes for you to “set the stage.” There are steps you can take to improve your chances of having these fascinating and vivid dreams!
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