Thousands, if not millions, of people own hefty collections of essential oils which they mostly used to make their home smell nicer. A small percentage of essential oil enthusiast are actually aware of the benefits that essential oils can offer us, especially when it comes to our physical health. The oils also have positive effects on our mental health and state, as they can help us relax and calm down.
Apart from using your essential oils as an aroma therapy, you should start applying them to your feet before going to bed, in order to improve your sleep. This fairly new way of applying and using essential oils is being widely suggested by reflexologists.
Bottom of our feet have no hair follicles and five skin layers. This means that the pores on our soles are able to absorb and deliver to our blood stream whatever we apply to them more quickly than any other area of our body.
Chemical analysis show that the traces of essential oils applied to our soles can be found in the bloodstream just 10 minutes after the application. As scientists explain, our soles and palms are the only areas on our body that don’t have sebaceous glands, and therefore allow for absorption this quickly. Sebaceous glands are responsible for producing an oily substance that clogs our pores and prevents the skin from absorbing foreign materials, commonly known as sebum.
The soles of our feet are also a home for more than 72,000 nerve endings, making this area the most densely populated nerve ending area on our body. This fact explains why East Asian traditional medicine was mostly based on treating patients by applying pressure to various points on their feet. Ayurveda, as well as ancient Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese medicine all relied on the belief that our organs are all linked with a few key points; our feet, hands, ears, and our face. Today, this approach to medicine is called reflexology.
Reflexology doesn’t only rely on simply massaging the feet and believing that this somehow magically eliminates all of our health issues. It relies on using ancient knowledge of how and where to apply pressure, combined with the modern accessibility to essential oils in order to prevent and treat various medical conditions.
Applying essential oils directly to the skin can sometimes cause unwanted reactions, such as skin rashes and swelling. This is commonly due to the fact that some essential oils are too concentrated and they are not intended for direct use on our skin. In order to prevent the risk of swelling and irritation, essential oils should be first diluted with coconut oil or water before topical use.
The skin on our soles and feet is much less sensitive, meaning that pure essential oil, with no diluting involved, can be applied in order to reap maximum benefits. Essential oils extracted from thyme, rosemary, and similar herbs are the best way to improve your sleep without too much trouble.
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