Do Essential Oils Give You Weird Dreams?
It’s become a common remark that we get at Edens Garden: “Your essential oils gave me weird dreams, vivid dreams, lucid dreams, etc.” The first time I heard a customer comment this, I thought it was simply a coincidence. The second time I was surprised. As someone who hardly ever experiences trouble sleeping, I had never used EOs at bedtime, so it wasn’t something I could speak on. Other staff members however, have voiced that our synergy blends like Good Night gave them unusual and vivid dreams.
Aromatherapy training cultivated in me a desire to learn by being hands-on, and this was something you had to experience to learn about. With that mindset, I grabbed Sleep Ease and Good Night and headed home. My experiment was that I would add a few drops of Sleep Ease to a cotton ball and place it in my pillow the first night. The second night I would remove the cotton ball and sleep without EOs. Finally, the third night I would repeat what I did the first night, but use Good Night instead.
To my surprise, the first and third night I had much more vivid dreams than the second night. To elaborate, when I awoke after the first and third night, I could remember my dreams in colorful detail. It was as though my dreams were memories of real events. On the contrary, I could not remember in detail what I dreamt the second night which is typical of me.
Following this experiment, I searched for studies that explained my experience. According to a study in which volunteers were subjected to the aroma of roses then rotten eggs, it was proven that outward stimuli such as scents can affect dreams. In this study, the volunteers testified to having pleasant dreams when subjected to the aroma of roses, and nightmarish dreams when subjected to the scent of rotten eggs. Aside from these findings, other studies such as these have shown that essential oils can improve the quality of sleep.
There is no telling what results others will have when inhaling EOs while they sleep, as everyone is unique. In my opinion, the vivid dreams that Good Night and Sleep Ease gave me enhanced my sleep experience, and may be something I do in the future just for the fun of it.
What’s your experience with inhaling EOs at night? Let us know in the comment section below!
About the Author, Bella Martinez
Bella Martinez is a Certified Aromatherapist, Natural Skincare Formulator and Edens Garden’s lead aromatherapist. An industry expert, Bella has spent years training and learning in the aromatherapy field, which she continues annually. Her passion is taking evidence-based aromatherapy and making it approachable for all.
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4 comments
Anna Kittelson
I’ve found and blend that has Cedarwood in it gives me crazy, vivid dreams and at times nightmares. I goofed last night and had put in Earth&Wood in my diffuser before bed. I’m so tired now lol
Edens Garden
@Felicia Rose oil can help with recalling dreams. This may be what you are experiencing if you do not normally remember details of your dreams.
Felicia
Rose oil is stirring up weird & bad dreams that I remember upon wakening…I wonder if I am trying to process something spiritually or psychologically 🧐?
ROMEO NACUA jr
September 2, 2021 at 8:06 am
I have vivid dreams of humans cohabitating with aliens. Also i have dreams that I have superpowers. I use an essential oil difusser and at first I thought it was my cellphone but this past month ive only been watching tennis on tv. One night i forgot to turn my oil difusser on and had a regular dream. It seems when I turn the oil difusser my dreams are really intense and vivid?!?! Mostly dreams about aliens, like from a star trek movie, or drinking an orange liquid that gives me super powers. I had a dream that I was a werewolf shopping in a store like walmart and in each section of the store was a different alien, stick figure aliens, robotic aliens, aliens with long tongues, aliens that dissapeared and reappeared…etc…They were all working in that store?!?! I had a dream 2 days ago that I could jump and fly for a short period.