How you end the day makes all the difference. Your evening routine can either set you up for a cheerful and fulfilling day or one full of frustration and exhaustion. Here are seven steps you can take to create a successful bedtime routine that will give you more restful nights and more productive days.
1. Set an alarm for bedtime.
Try setting an alarm for one hour before you’d like to be settled in bed to remind you that it’s time to step out of your day and start winding down.
2. 
Drink up!
Since you end up going 6–8 hours without any liquid at all, drinking water throughout the day and before you hit the sack is essential to keeping yourself hydrated. Try adding Lavender Vitality™ essential oil to your water or herbal tea for a calming influence. Aim for an hour before bed, so you aren’t waking up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip.
3. Give yourself a little face time.
Make sure to give your skin and teeth the TLC they need. Refresh and renew your face with a mild wash such as our ART® Gentle Cleanser. You should also use gentle products on your teeth that are free of synthetic dyes and fluoride such as our Thieves® AromaBright™ Toothpaste and Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash. Taking time to establish and follow this important hygiene ritual will help you feel fresh and relaxed before bed and can signal to your brain that it’s time to calm down.
4. Take notes for tomorrow.
Write down a brief game plan for a productive tomorrow. While creating your list, remember to envision the kind of day you’d like to have, how you’d like to feel, and the top priorities you’ve got in your sights. Get it down on paper and you won’t spend hours trying to fall asleep thinking about what your day might look like.
5. Set yourself up for success.
The night before, prepare your outfit, your breakfast and lunch, or complete other tasks you’d usually take care of in the morning. The fewer tasks looming over you, the quicker and happier you will be getting out of bed in the morning.
6. Ditch the tech and read a book.
The light from electronic screens can trick your mind and body into thinking it’s still light out. Try leaving technology out of your bedroom to help you shift into to a calm, relaxed, and clear state.
7. Add essential oils to your routine.
Try diffusing Lavender, Stress Away™, or your favorite blend of essential oils with comforting aromas as you prepare for bed. Rubbing a couple drops between your palms and brushing them over your pillow can also boost the relaxing aromas and can make jumping into a cloud of pillows and blankets feel extra luxurious.
YL tip: Did you know that Valerian essential oil helps promote feelings of calm, serenity, relaxation, and that it can ease occasional restlessness? Add Valerian to your bedtime routine by diffusing a few drops 30 minutes before you go to sleep.
Want more tips for getting that ever-important beauty rest? Check out our essential tips for bedtime. For more tips on winding down any time of day, learn more about Peace & Calming.
Hi Monica, Because Young Living’s products are not labeled to be used as drugs, they are not intended for use in the treatment or cure of disease or any abnormal function of the body, including ailments or injuries. Therefore, Young Living cannot provide advice or recommendation for products to address difficulty sleeping. Your husband can try following the steps and tips on this post with the consent of a health care provider that has experience with EO’s. We recommend that he seeks further advice from his health care adviser as well. Thanks for stopping by!
For my husband snoring and restless legs. I have been using peace and calm in the defuser. We are both sleeping better now.
Lavender, Bergamot and Trauma Life
Yes! Everyone is different. Try different oils and combos and don’t give up!
I am not even sure if is meant to support relaxation, but I love to diffuse Australian Blue at bed time. The scent is lovely, and it does does help me to relax.
I love diffusing Sacred mountain and cedarwood. Some nights I switch up the cedarwood with lavender but sacred mountain all the way :)
My husband has been having sleep issues for quite awhile. He may sleep all night one night or two then awake all night for several nights. He was on prescription medication for 20 plus years and came off it for 6 weeks or so. I have tried Tranquil, Peace and calming, Stress Away, Lavender, Cedarwood, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Thieves. I have tried diffusing as well as applying them to feet, neck, behind ears, as well as in a bath for 15 minutes and no luck. I am so desperate for him because I don’t want him going back on harsh prescriptions and neither does he. I have also tried MegaCal and Immupro and now Sulfurzyme. Is there anything else that can work for sleep? Thanks. I do love my YL oils but wish I could get help for this issue for him so he can sleep better.
Hi Rachelle, We are sorry to hear about your husbands difficulty to sleep. Young Living’s products are intended only for the use listed on individual labels—either for topical/aromatic use or as a dietary supplement. Please always refer to the label for usage directions. Because Young Living’s products are not labeled to be used as drugs, they are not intended for use in the treatment or cure of disease or any abnormal function of the body, including ailments or injuries. Therefore, Young Living cannot provide advice or recommendation for products to address any type of disease, ailment, or injury. We advise that you consult with a medical professional on your specific issue. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Hi Rachelle – I have a very similar sleep pattern. Sometimes SleepEssence helps me through the sleeplessness. I find that sometimes if I can sort of break the “sleepless pattern” for a few nights, a new “sleep pattern” sometimes takes over. Maybe SleepEssence could help him. I wish him good luck and sweet dreams.
OH . . . I haven’t yet tried it (I’m waiting for Palo Santo), but I’ve heard from a few people that Idaho Balsam Fir and Palo Santo diffused at night works well.
I think looking at the root of why he isn’t sleeping may help you. Was it after trauma? Was it environmental? Is it metabolic? Feel free to get in touch we me, I would be happy to exchange information via email.
have you tried lemon lavender and peppermint 2-3 drops of each diffusing at night? my favorite is stress away and thieves 2-3 drops of each.
I have major insomia and I swear by the kids scent sleepize….take a warm bath with lavendar and diffuse sleepize all night long in the bedroom.
Try sleepyize. It is a kids scents but it worked on my niece who is 21 and has not slept through the night for years due to anxiety issues. I swear by it for myself and my 8 yr old. We diffuse and also apply it topically. My husband uses abundance before bed and says he sleeps like a baby with that one.
We diffuse Cedarwood, Lavender and Peace and Calming. We love it!!
Cedarwood everywhere!!!!!!!
Cedarwood, peppermint & lemon diffused😌. Alternating with Bergamot, StessAway, and Dream Catcher to name a few. A drop of thieves vitality on toothbrush and intake a drop of frankincense vitality & thieves vitality to support my immune system. Beauty routine includes the Art beauty line. Great article!
A tiny roll of Rutalava (when I can get it!)
Frankincense is my go to oil at bedtime! I rub it on my wrists and if I need a little extra boost I dab it behind my ears and behind my neck.
Lavender & Cedarwood, nightly routine! I also toss Thieves into it a few times a week. Love the smell of the Lavender and Cedarwood about 30 minutes after it’s been diffusing, as I start diffusing before bedtime to fill the room with the aroma.
White Angelica and valor.
Frankincense, Gentle Baby, cedarwood.
Lavender, vetiver/Cedarwood.
Peace & Calming II, Lavender.
RC, Lavender, purification.
I’be been diffusing cedarwood and orange lately! Love it!
Here is the important thing to remember- keep trying the oils until you find what works for you, whether it’s a single, a blend, or your own blend. Don’t give up! We are so blessed to have these wonderful gifts from God, and they work! Each of us is unique – you’ll find what you need 😍
I rub lavender and thieves on my feet. I do the lavender first and relax. Right before I feel like I am going to doze off I put Thieves on for immune support. Also because it helps me to sleep better.
Lavendar and cedarwood!
I LOVE RUBBING ON STRESS AWAY AND LAVENDER.
I’ve tried combining Lavender, Cedarwood, and Clary Sage in a roller bottle as a Bedtime Roll-On for my husband. He has trouble sleeping. Somehow, it didn’t work. So a friend told me about diffusing R.C. with Lavender. I tried it and Voila! My husband slept soundly for the night.
Thanks!!
Hi Mindy, how many drops of each?
thanks
How many drops do u use for. Rc n lavender??
Oh I am going to try this!!!!
Lavender in my hair products while showering before bed. The steam magnifies it — so calming! Also, sleep roller and brain shut down roller before reading a bit and then it’s lights out.
Stress Away & Lavender is one of my favorites, but I can’t dismiss Lavender & Cedarwood. Simply heavenly with as little Vetiver. Perfection!
Lavender, Stress Away and Cedarwood! Sleep like a baby
My new favorite sleep blend. 3 drops Stress Away and 2 drops Idaho Balsam Fir. Excellent nights sleep
Does anybody know what to do if you have night mares. My husband is a worrier, he has night mares almost every night about things that might or could happen.
Gisela, what we think about…comes about. I’d encourage your husband to replace thoughts of worry with thoughts of love and gratitude. For example, one cannot have the emotion of love at the same time they have the emotion of worry. If he is open, ask him to consider visualizing or journaling what he wants instead of what he doesn’t want. Consider reducing negative Influencers like news. YL has so great emotional EO’s like Release, Stress Away, etc. I also like to use a gratitude journal to write down five things I’m grateful for that day as I enjoy my favorite YLEO being diffused. Blessings!
Emily, what great ideas! A gratitude journal is inspiring, because it helps you stop, think, appreciate, and count your blessings in a day with happenings that otherwise would be forgotten. Thank you for sharing. Also, remember that prayer helps so much, too!
I would try present time, it’s expensive but l think worth every penny. He is not living in the present and fear really only comes from living in the past or the future, the unknown. Present time will bring him to just being in the now, it’s an awesome oil.
Bergamot is great for emotional support! Try it with Peace and Calming II in the diffuser. I love that combo!
Gisela, I read a tip from one of our YL members who said that cedarwood caused some people to have nightmares, or wild dreams. We have tried several different sleep blends that work well, but I stopped adding the cedarwood after I read that. We started using lavender only. I put a rollerball on my lavender so that it would go on quicker. Apply lavender to your common pulse points (temples, down the neck from behind your ears, wrists and your big toes as well as the tip of the next toe).
Try Dream Catcher!
Purification on the bottoms of your feet.
I diffuse 2 drops each of lavender, cedar wood, vertiver, and stress away at bedtime. Everyone sleeps great, including the dogs!
Try using Dream Catcher!
Relaxing in my Lavender Bath with the spa jets running, followed by a cup of Chamomile Tea with a drop or 2 of THIEVES Vitality turns me to butter!😴💤
Definitely Lavender is always in my daily routine. At night, I put 4 drops in my diffuser and then, place two drops on each side of my pillow. The next thing that I know..I’m asleep. :)
Also, I use Stress Away–two drops on my palm along with Present Time. Breathe it in and rub it on the back of my neck. Ah…wonderful!! Present Time and Stress Away are absolutely fantastic!! My favs!!
LOVE my Young Living!! ^_^
make a spray of lavender for your hair not only will you be able to smell it throughout the night but the next day your hair will smell great too.
Debbie, do you mix the 4 drops of each on a Rollin bottle or use straight from each bottle
I use the Tranquil Rolleron.
My thoughts and experience are that the bedtime routine should be initiated after dinner. A slow decent to sleepy time. Example : Eat, go out for a walk or bike ride or yoga routine… come back to the house start to unplug from electronics: TV, Computer,cell phone ect…no sugar before bedtime !
Take a hot shower and dab a little lavender behind your ears or on the bottom of your feet…. Start to Diffuse your favorite scent to help calm…. read, draw, be thankful…. go to sleep…. The routine is important with your self and your children. good night sweet dreams
I love your Valor Essential Oil Blend when massaged on my back, my 3 1/2 year old daughter’s, and also my husband’s. My Mom does this nightly too!
I like peppermint, lavender, and stress away. I am going to try the cedarwood. I love my oils.
Does anyone know if you can put essential oils in the water used in a CPAP machine?
Hi Joan, great question! We would not recommend using essential oils in conjunction with a CPAP machine in any manner as the oils may damage the plastic components of the machine. Thanks for stopping by!
No, the oils will eat the plastic of the humidifier which heats the water and turn it from clear to white.
Lavender Vitality in my tea has helped me to unwind before bed.
I use 4 drops of lavender, 4 drops of cedar wood, and 4 of stress away every night, and place a dab behind my ear of cedarwood
So do we! Great combo!
How do you use the lavender, cedar wood, and stress away? Do you diffuse, topical, or drink?
I diffused Lavender for a while and then found that I liked it better on my feet. My favorite for diffusing at bedtime are Cedarwood and DreamCatcher. I breathe in a drop or two of Cedarwood and rub the remainder on both sides of my pillow so that whichever way I turn, it’s there. The smell is heavenly. It’s a great combination.
Those are very good tips and I am going to do them. Thanks for sharing.
I like to put a drop of Cedarwood on my fingers and rub it behind my ears.
Lavender and Cedarwood = Drool