People use candles for different reasons. The first and oldest purpose or use of candles is for the provision of light. Thousands of years ago (and even up to some decades ago), candles were among the major sources of illumination in the world. Coupled with their usage by the Church (in some ceremonies) and other religions, candles were rather popular a while back. However, the invention of the electric light bulb changed everything.
Nowadays, the popularity of candles is tied to their use in aromatherapy, where they are used to treat (and cure) conditions such as depression, insomnia etc.
CANDLES AND INSOMNIA
Insomnia is a condition, whose greatest symptom is the inability to sleep (at the appropriate time) or difficulty in sleeping. This symptom also happens to be the actual condition (it transcends some kind of unspoken line between symptom and diagnosis that simply makes it more than a symptom). Some of its treatment plans involve stimulus control, relaxation training, sleep restriction, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Other symptoms of insomnia include; malaise or fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness, impairments with attention (span), concentration and memory (all of which may be frequently characterized by forgetfulness), irritability, lack of energy, lack of motivation, hyperactivity, aggression, lack of motivation, and a higher risk of incurring accidents (due to factors such as; excessive daytime sleepiness and lack of attention or focus).
Getting diagnosed for this condition usually occurs when a questionnaire is filled by a patient and examined by trained medical personnel, who may ask follow up questions in order to properly identify the condition. An overnight sleep study may also be conducted (as a form of follow up), which will further shed light on the patient’s ailment (and diagnosis), by helping them discover how many hours they spend sleeping, how soon they are able to fall asleep and other factors that may be helpful. Body sensors may also be recommended or employed to help the doctor understand the problem better. This is sometimes necessary because insomnia occurs to different kinds of degrees. It may mild or chronic, depending on its severity in any individual patient, at any particular point in time.
THE BEST CANDLES TO HELP YOU SLEEP
Aromatherapy is one of the treatment courses that may help in alleviating (or completely curing) insomnia, because it aids relaxation and helps in reducing stress; which is a major factor that usually leads to insomnia.
Scented candles, being one of the major tools of aromatherapy may also be of great help in the treatment of insomnia. However, some scented candles are more suited for this role than others, due to the type of scents or fragrances they contain. Some of these scented candles – that are certifiably the best ones to help you sleep – include the following:
- Lavender
Lavender is a very soothing scent, which – when obtained from natural essential oils – helps a great deal in the treatment of insomnia. Lavender fragrance works by helping a person to clear their mind and calm a person’s body. And the effectiveness of this (natural) fragrance is part of the reason why lavender tea is one of the most popular homemade recipes for helping people sleep. They are also very effective when it comes to the treatment of anxiety and other stress-related conditions, which are typically cured by relaxation and stress relief.
- Rose
Rose is a very common (yet perfectly unique) floral scent that is widely used in the production of scented candles. This sweet-smelling candle is a favorite of many people around the world, because of its pleasant aroma. However, when extracted from natural sources (in the form of essential oils), the effect of the fragrance becomes particularly heightened.
Rose fragrance has a calming effect on the nerves, and it has the exceptional ability to put people in a better mood (or simply improve their mood, generally), because it can help the recall good memories and make them think good thoughts (which makes this fragrance particularly good at calming people down, reducing their stress and helping them sleep better; after all, these are some of the effects of remembering good memories and thinking good thoughts).
- Jasmine
Jasmine is a kind of (natural) fragrance that helps people treat (or cure) insomnia which occurs as a result of restless leg syndrome. This is because this particular scent helps a person to relax their muscles. Burning jasmine scented candles also helps people feel refreshed when they wake up.
- Cedarwood
This scent is a very common one in scented candles. It is a warm, woodsy and earthy fragrance that reminds people of the great outdoors, and brilliant woody plains. It also happens to be one of the greatest scents out there for dealing with insomnia.
Cedarwood helps you sleep better because its fragrant woodsy aroma does a wonderful job of calming down the nervous system, thereby aiding relaxation and reducing stress. Apart from this, cedarwood is also great at helping people combat anxiety, which may also go a long way in treating insomnia. Therefore, candles that are imbued with natural cedarwood essential oils are typically a great find for insomniacs.
When obtained from natural essential oils, the fragrance of cedarwood has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect that helps an individual focus better when they are awake, which means that it will help insomniacs eliminate drowsiness or sleepiness during the day (thus increasing their potentials of being able to sleep much better at night).
- Chamomile
Chamomile is one more fragrance that goes a long way in the treatment of insomnia, because it is a great and calming scent that helps a person get rid of stress and tension. The effectiveness of this scent comes from the fact that it is obtained from essential oils from the real plant (i.e. chamomile scented candles made from extracted natural chamomile essential oils are the best kind of chamomile candles). The effectiveness of this essential oil fragrance is not surprising, considering the popularity of chamomile tea in calming a person’s nerves. Another thing to note is that this scent is not harsh at all; rather, it is actually very gentle.
