The Benefits of an Aromatherapy Diffuser
An aromatherapy diffuser uses the power of heat and water to disperse essential oils throughout your home. These devices are easy to use and require minimal maintenance.
Essential oils are concentrated extracts from fragrant plants like lavender and eucalyptus. They can boost your mood and have medicinal benefits, such as fighting allergies or relieving a cough.
Enhances Your Mood
The aroma of certain essential oils can have a mood-lifting effect. You can inhale them directly from the bottle, apply them topically in a carrier oil, or diffuse them using an aromatherapy diffuser. Diffusers are the most popular and efficient way to get the scents into your air, where they can have a positive impact on your mind and body.
The scent of citrus oils, like lemon or grapefruit, is energizing and can help you wake up or concentrate on work. Similarly, lavender oils can be relaxing and help you to unwind at the end of the day. Choose an aromatherapy diffuser blend that you enjoy so it will become a part of your daily routine and enhance your mood naturally.
If you’re a woman who gets moody prior to and during your menstrual cycle, aromatherapy can also be helpful. Calming scents like ylang-ylang, chamomile, and clary sage can ease those emotional lows and highs.
Make sure you use the best quality oils to ensure safety and efficacy. Look for a label that says ‘for aromatherapy only’ and avoid using any oils if they are not labeled that way. When choosing your oils, it’s important to select ones that are distilled using clean methods so you can be confident you’re not breathing in chemicals and additives. Also, make sure you’re following the recommended ratio of water to oil for your particular diffuser to ensure proper function.
Helps You Relax
Aromatherapy diffusers can also help ease tension and anxiety by diffusing soothing scents that relax the body. Lavender is one of the most popular essential oil scents for beginners and aromatherapy experts alike, as it has anxiolytic properties, or anti-anxiety effects that can calm the mind. Other oils that can be used to reduce stress and anxiety include geranium, bergamot and ylang ylang. These can be applied topically to the skin or used in a diffuser.
The calming scent of lavender can help you unwind after a stressful day and can be especially helpful for those with insomnia. It can even help promote deep sleep at night, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. A great way to relax is to combine the use of aromatherapy with another ultrasonic diffuser relaxing activity, such as soaking in a hot tub, completing an easy yoga routine or meditating for a few minutes.
Remember to always dilute essential oils before applying them to the skin or using them in a diffuser. They should never be used alone to treat serious conditions, and if you experience severe anxiety, you may need additional coping tools, such as seeing a mental health professional. When choosing a diffuser for home use, consider where you plan to place it. For example, if you plan on using it to prepare for bedtime, it’s ideal to choose an aromatherapy diffuser with a timer that shuts off after seven or nine hours.
Eases Your Transition to a New Routine
You may have heard about aromatherapy in a massage spa but the benefits of this ultrasonic diffuser practice can be brought home using an essential oil diffuser. Aromatherapy uses natural extracts from fragrant plants like lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus to enhance your mood, help you sleep better, reduce pain, and improve your overall health.
Aromatherapy can also be used to support healthy lifestyle changes. For example, research suggests that the odor of certain foods can satisfy hunger cravings. Adding the scent of these oils to your environment, using an aromatherapy diffuser, can make it easier for you to stick with your diet plan.
Certain essential oil blends can also help relieve stomach issues including feeling too bloated after meals or having a sick tummy. Others can promote good circulation and lymph drainage under the skin, which helps to minimize the appearance of cellulite and dark marks from veins.
Another way that an aromatherapy diffuser can ease your transition to a new routine is by encouraging focus. Invigorating scents like citrus oils can help you stay alert and focused during tasks that require your undivided attention. This can help you achieve a more productive day and even give you that boost of motivation you need to finish a project or meet a deadline.
Helps You Sleep
Besides promoting relaxation and improving mood, aromatherapy has been linked to better sleep. It may also help alleviate stress and anxiety symptoms, which often interfere with restful sleep. Some studies show that certain essential oils can be helpful in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders, such as fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome (RRLS).
You can purchase ready-made blends of essential oil to use with your diffuser or try your hand at mixing your own concoctions. Just remember that essential oils are highly concentrated and only need a few drops to be effective. Nelson recommends following the instructions on your chosen oil’s bottle to find out how much to add.
When selecting an oil, you should always choose those that are labeled as ‘for aromatherapy use only’, which will indicate that the oils have been produced using clean distillation methods. This will ensure that the oils are safe to be inhaled, especially if you have sensitive skin or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
For a great night’s sleep, set your aromatherapy diffuser in the bedroom and turn it on just before you go to bed. The aromatherapy vapors will fill the room, helping you wind down and get comfortable, so you can drift into a peaceful sleep. Just be sure to keep your diffuser out of reach of kids and pets, as high doses of some essential oils can be harmful to children and animals.