Top 7 Tips for Digestion & Sleep
The holidays go hand in hand with some pretty awesome food. I'm a bit of a foodie & tend to overindulge this time of year (& I'm fairly sure I'm not alone😂).
When you've had a few too many gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie, candy canes … or if something else is keeping you awake at night, here are some simple solutions for any occasional indigestion, bloating, heartburn & also lack of sleep.
Top essential oils for supporting
SLEEP & DIGESTION
Eat more slowly & use your diffuser while eating
To improve your digestion, don’t eat when you’re stressed or on the go, & eat slowly. This is the most important piece of the puzzle. When you eat slowly & aren’t stressed, your body will be in the parasympathetic state, which is the body’s “rest, digest & heal” function. The parasympathetic state allows your body to release the correct amount of stomach acid, enzymes, etc. to digest your food.
Diffuse oils like:
Wild Orange
Lavender
Holiday Joy (a personal fave of mine during the holidays)
Holiday Peace (a personal fave of mine during the holidays)
Balance
Frankincense
any oil that helps you feel more relaxed
You can also rub 1 drop of any of these oils on the back of the neck, spine or bottoms of the feet to help the body relax so you can properly digest your food.
Peppermint
Rub 1 drop of Peppermint over the stomach for occasional heartburn.
DigestZen
Rub 1 drop of DigestZen over the lower abdomen to relieve discomfort from bloating. My husband is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist & this oil is our family's favorite go-to for anything digestion related. We'll also swallow 1-2 drops, & then drink a glass of water for some really fast relief!
The roller bottle blend doTERRA sells labeled “Tamer” is also a favorite - kids like it too! I keep both these options on hand.
Epsom salt bath + essential oils
Take an epsom salt bath a few times a week (or each evening, if you can) to help you sleep better & it will help improve your digestion!
When you’re stressed, the first mineral your body burns through is magnesium - this is why so many people are magnesium deficient. Soaking in a bath with 1 cup of epsom salts + a few drops of your favorite essential oil will help you relax & replenish your magnesium stores.
Trouble falling asleep?
If you lay down & can't fall asleep, this is usually a sign of an adrenal imbalance, so diffuse lavender next to your bed & also eat a small snack such as a piece of raw cheese or spoonful of almond butter. A recent study found that inhaling lavender essential oil can decrease cortisol levels. That’s good news for the adrenals!
You can also take 2 doTERRA Serenity Softgels for a natural sleep aid that won't leave you groggy in the morning like regular sleep aids do.
If the trouble you're having going to sleep is because you can't keep your brain from spinning through all the things that happened that day, or the list of things you have to do tomorrow? Add 3 drops of Serenity & 1 drop Vetiver to your diffuser. The Vetiver component helps support the brain in calming down & the Serenity blend supports better sleep.
Waking up in the middle of the night?
If you wake up in the middle of the night & can't go back to sleep, again, eat a small snack + put a drop of lavender on your chest. The small snack + lavender will both help reduce your cortisol levels so you can go back to sleep.
To get good quality sleep…
To promote a restful night's sleep, diffuse Serenity + Cedarwood next to your bed. This blend works like a charm!
helpful videos:
Scientist tells how to improve sleep naturally for better mood
Family Medicine doctor talks about Digestive Health & Essential Oils
Start with this:
This Healthy Start Kit comes with 10 of the top oils, including some of the main ones for digestion & sleep.
It also comes with both a free diffuser & a doTERRA wholesale account that give you 25% off any purchases whenever you want for one year.
From the link below, you can also add any other products you want to try & they'll be 25% off too.
And just for the month of December, if you add other products into your cart using the link below, to bring your cart up to at least 200pv, you'll automatically get a FREE FRANKINCENSE added to your cart worth $100!
Free from me:
When you purchase through me, I'll send you The Essential Life reference book as a free gift!
(only for those in the continental USA)
This book is over 500 pages with full color illustrations, recipes, DIY & more. You'll love this book. It's what I still turn to when I have a question.