"Lavender oil is the queen of the scents when it comes to helping sleep," Melinda Ring, MD, executive director of The Osher Centre For Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University, told POPSUGAR. She explained that studies have shown that lavender oil is effective in different forms and durations, including aromatherapy and inhalation before bed. Dr. Ring added that there's some evidence that lavender essential oil may also help with anxiety and depression, both of which can disrupt sleep.
As Peter Bailey, MD, a family physician based in the California Bay Area, explained, lavender oil helps with sleep because it induces relaxation. "When used through an oil diffuser, the aromatic therapies provided by the oil help to relax one's mind and stimulate the release of the chemical melatonin, which makes you sleepy and ready for bed," Dr. Bailey said.