The benefits of essential oils for use in aromatherapy, applied in massage and for making fragrant perfumes really isn’t in doubt, but an authoritative academic paper reported the potential for these amazing pure essential oils to impact positively in their effect on snoring.
If you are one of the 15 million UK bed partners that snore, or a sufferer in any country for that matter, there is now some encouraging news. Certain essential oils (pure natural oils extracted from plant material) have had good positive outcomes in reducing the noise of sufferers and to improve the general sleep of partners.
Natural Essential Oil to Help Stop Snoring
There have been a large amount of practical cures and blends of natural essential oil that have been found to improve medicinally for all kinds of ailments. For centuries, many traditions have included natural remedies to common everyday ailments – including that of snoring. Here are some of the most effective natural essential oils that could bring about improvements for you:
#1. Lavender Pure Essential Oil
Origin: Indigenous to the Mediterranean and grown worldwide. Steam distillation from the fresh flowering tops.
Fragrance: Sweet, floral, woody undertone, balsamic.
Blends: Blends well with with most other essential oils, citrus essential oils, cedarwood, clary sage, geranium, patchouli.
Uses: Good for respiratory system and circulation. Helps asthma, bronchitis, halitosis, laryngitis, throat infections, whooping cough, colic, dyspepsia, nausea, lumbago, muscular aches, rheumatism, sprains, helps with skincare and nervous system problems.
#2. Fennel Pure Essential Oil
Origin: Native to Mediterranean region and extracted by steam distillation from crushed seeds.
Fragrance: Very sweet, aniseed like, peppery.
Blends: Blends well with geranium, rose, sandalwood, lavender.
Uses: Good for respiratory system and urinary system. Helps with asthma, bronchitis, anorexia, colic, constipation, flatulence, hiccough, insufficient milk (nursing mothers) and menopausal problems.
#3. Clove Leaf Pure Essential Oil
Origin: Native to Indonesia now cultivated worldwide. Water and steam distillation from the leaf, bud and stem.
Fragrance: Spicy, sweet.
Blends: Blends well with numerous fragrance oils including rose, lavender, clary sage, bergamot, bay leaf.
Uses: Good for respiratory system and immune system. Helps with asthma, bronchitis, colic, dyspepsia, nausea, colds, flu, minor infections and circulation problems.
#4. Peppermint Essential Oil
Origin: Cultivated worldwide by steam distillation from the flowering herb.
Fragrance: Fresh, grassy, minty.
Blends: Blends well with most other essential oils, citrus essential oils, cedarwood, clary sage, geranium, patchouli.
Uses: Good for respiratory system. Helps asthma, bronchitis, halitosis, sinusitis, spasmodic cough (when inhaled in steam), head colds, neuralgia, acne, dermatitis, ringworm,toothache, colic, cramp, colds, flu, mental fatigue and nervous system problems.
#5. Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Origin: Native to Australia with essential oil extracted by steam distillation from the leaves and twigs.
Fragrance: Strong, woody.
Blends: Blends well with thyme, lavender, rosemary, marjoram, cedarwood, lemon.
Uses: Good for respiratory system. Helps with asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, coughs, cuts, throat infections, sores, ulcers, insect repellent, infection, muscular aches and pains, poor circulation, sprains, headaches, neuralgia, sinusitis.
Caution: Could irritate sensitive skin. Toxic if taken internally.
Essential Oil Research
A report from a UK hospital has shown some positive results of essential oils helping to alleviate snoring, the effects of snoring, and leading to better night’s sleep for bed partners (source dcscience.net). The research involved selecting suitable people from a Snoring Clinic and gathering the results of their use of 3 ‘Help Stop Snoring’ products. Ninety eight individuals wrote down their results (either positive or not on a scale of 0 – 10 ), over a fourteen day period of the use of a spray (imbued with natural essential oils), a gargle mixture (containing drops of advantageous essential oils ) and a placebo (gargle).
Essential Oil Results
The double blind test results concluded that the following percentage of patients recorded a decline in snoring of their bed partners:
Spray containing essential oil – 82%
Gargle containing essential oil – 71%
Placebo (Gargle) – 44%
The report shows some clear signs that using a spray with essential oil may improve the negative effects of snoring. There are many commercial sprays around but why not save money and try your own blend of oil remedies using essential oils and a simple spray bottle dispenser. There are many more beneficial uses of the hundreds of pure essential oils available but take care to dilute any sprays, or mixture for gargles. Always use a a small amount of oil in blends and take medical guidance if you are at all unsure.