Sleepytime BPAL

[for_the_nonce]

I've tried the more traditional sleep oils, but lavender tends to keep me awake; it's just too strong and sometimes gives me asthma. So...

 

I always wear BPAL to bed, and the blends that give me the best sleep are incensy, like Penitence, Midnight Mass, The Pit and the Pendulum.... There is something about the rich softness of these blends that is comforting and protective, conducive to peaceful sleep.

 

I second that. Opium scents are also good for sleep- I like Languor, in particular.

 

I also find Wolf Moon '07 to be very comforting/sleep inducing.

 

Just my $0.02.

[tziporra]

I second that. Opium scents are also good for sleep- I like Languor, in particular.

 

I also find Wolf Moon '07 to be very comforting/sleep inducing.

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Oh yuk yuk yuk.... I can't stand Languor. It turns all to yuk on me. I don't think it's the opium though.

 

Tzi

[Electra]

TKO doesn't put me out. At all. I'm fairly disappointed -- it's a nice blend, to be sure, and relaxing to wear at bedtime, but I've given it a good many tries and it just doesn't do anything for me. Damn. I wanted it to be the magic bullet.

 

Quietude, while not a favorite on my skin, is very nice in the burner. I don't like TKO in the burner at all -- it takes on an odd note that's really reminiscent of Desitin diaper cream -- but Quietude is just lovely. It's very restful and soothing. Again, it doesn't actually help me fall asleep, but it does create a calm atmosphere in the bedroom.

 

I've just gotten a bottle of TAL Nocturne, which I'm very excited to try out properly. I'll report back.

 

So far, my favorite sleep blend is still Temple of Dreams.

 

Editing -- I used Nocturne for the second time last night. I had the same experience both times -- it didn't help me fall asleep any faster or more easily, but 1) it blotted out any dream recall (I usually have a high level of dream recall; both nights I used Nocturne, I couldn't remember whether I had dreamed or not until five or ten minutes after I woke up) and 2) I woke before my alarm, feeling refreshed, and didn't hit the snooze button at all. That never happens. So I'd say that Nocturne was a successful experiment.

 

Still wish I could find a blend that would knock me out, though.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Electra

[klavierbarrette]

thought i'd ask for a little help...i haven't tried any of the blends because well, i wear a bipap at night (it's for sleep apnea) and i can't really SMELL much as i sleep.

 

my problem with sleeping is i can't get to sleep, but once i am asleep, i STAY asleep....it's like i want to take a sleep aid but that just makes me sleep more.

 

any ideas?

[Phaedra]

A general reply here- I find that combining Somnus and TKO really works amazingly well. I also use them each separately. But using them together helps me fall asleep and stay asleep.

[glass_cat]

The ones I put on for bed more often than not are either incense-based or somewhat foody. Those seem to do the best job of soothing me and making me feel relaxed. I think right now my favorite bedtime scents are Antique Lace, Miskatonic University, Rose Cross, or Eat Me. I also just adore opium-based scents when I want to wind down... Opium Poppy and Languor especially.

[whitemyrrh]

I know there is a sleep rec thread here already, and I apologize if that really should have been addressed there--but this is a specific problem, for me and I suspect a few others.

 

So I'm concerned about long term health problems and am, gradually, trying to rehab some of my worse sleep habits--and I've been trying to use aromatherapy to help. I have problems "letting go" at night. I get tense. I worry. I fixate on anything there is to fixate, will realize I've been missing a CD for three months and start digging around the house to find it, will convince myself I need to write an entry in my journal, update my Livejournal, answer comments in Livejournal, finish reading a book, start reading another book, try to figure out where that one passage I remember was, clean the bathroom, reorganize the BPAL box and smell everything in there too, obsess about someone from the irrevocable past, maybe I could make a graphic novel? Oh, by the way? It's 3 o'clock in the morning and... what am I doing?

 

The problem is that I haven't been able to find anything that clears my head and helps me sleep... without giving me a hangover.

 

From the Somnium collection, I have tried Temple of Dreams, Oneiroi, and Somnus. Temple of Dreams and Oneiroi... put me into a coma. I wake up and my vision is hazy. My head hurts, I'm SO woozy, it's like I've been drinking. I think Temple of Dreams was the one where I woke up and walked into a door frame and didn't notice the bruise on my forehead for a half hour. This is fine for if it is the dead of winter and I have declared it my annual "Day of Sleep" holiday, but if I have commitments the next day, for instance, work? It's too much. I won't have safely returned to our earthly plane before I have to drive. I'm wondering if these blends share a danger ingredient (for me, at least) that I should generally avoid unless I want to do deep, deep trance work once in a great while. Mugwort, maybe? Hops?

 

Somnus is better, but it has caused me to sleep through the alarm on occasion. I am much more rested-feeling after a few uncomfortably muddled minutes, and don't have the headache. Until I look at the clock! But that's a different kind of headache. I do intend to keep using Somnus, but I'm wondering if anyone has a sense of how much sleep she wants. If I should only use it if I can get it on and sleep, safely, for seven to eight hours. Right now, I don't feel comfortable using Somnus when I really need her--to help me "shut down" & sleep on the nights when I have to wake up in the morning and get to work safely in time to open the store.

 

With all three, the release seems to be more physical than mental, too. The body slows and I sleep because I am in the body... but the mind is still chugging away, blasting 99 Luff Balloons and dancing the Time Warp. This aspect will probably need to addressed with a meditation practice, of some sort. But if someone has had a successful experience with "stilling" from a BPAL blend... inquiring minds want to know, once the mental iPod's batteries give out, at least.

 

I haven't tried Nanshe, Baku, Succor, Quietude, TKO or any of the TALs.

 

Basically, I want a sleep blend that will help clear my head (emphasis on clear my head!!! No more 4AM crazed CD hunts, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE!), help me let go, lull me to sleep, but not knock me out through the alarm. I'm... apparently very physically sensitive to sleep-aids ("Calm Tabs" from Puritan's Pride need to be used with caution, so does "Bach's Rescue Remedy") I'm such a freaking lightweight! Any recommendations?

[Armaita]

There was one particular post in the general thread that I think may be of help to you (bolding mine):

 

(newbie poking my head up here - hi!)

 

I'm studying to become a Certified Ayurveda Practitioner and I find this topic fascinating - and very topical, since I have problems sleeping as well.

 

According to Ayurveda, there are three basic kinds of insomnia based on the three basic body types.

 

Vata insomnia is the racing mind that will not settle down long enough to get to sleep. Instead, you toss and turn and think about everything under the sun, and may even have a hard time winding down enough to just get in bed, much less get to sleep (yeah, that's me, big time).

 

With Pitta insomnia, you tend to wake up throughout the night in 90 minute cycles, often charged with some powerful negative emotion like anger or frustration, or you may wake up between 2 and 4am with a surge of driven energy that prevents you from getting back to sleep. Instead, you may feel the urge to get up and "get things done."

 

Kapha insomnia comes, ironically from too much sleep, a heavy or extended nap during the day that leaves you overslept and unable to sleep at night. Often sleep will be so heavy and deep that there is no refreshment to it, so despite sleeping a great deal, one never feels properly rested.

 

To calm Vata, which is composed of air and space/motion, go with sweet, warm, grounding scents. Among the florals, rose, jasmine, honeysuckle or linden would be nice. Any spicy scent would also do nicely, and I think the milk scents would be very good as well. For myself, I like Wanton, Hunter Moon, or The Living Flame. Alice would be good too.

 

Fiery Pitta, on the other hand, needs to be cooled, so airy lavender, light white florals, aquatic notes, and green notes would be good. Water of Notre Dame would be nice. Dormouse, Neo-Tokyo, The Apothecary, and Embalming fluid also spring to mind.

 

Kaphas need to lighten their heavy sleep, so bracing energizing scents, both during the day to keep them awake and at night to keep them from sleeping like corpses. Pungent herbs, sharp greens, and woods like thyme, pine, and cedar are excellent for Kapha (my Kapha roommate loves the strong cedar note of Magus, and I think the activating qualities of the high john essence help as well). Citrus, mint, and energizing spices like cinnamon and ginger are also beneficial. I should order some Jabberwocky and Hamadryad for my roommate - she's got a new job and needs to stop sleeping through her alarm clock.

 

Might be worth trying something along those lines? I will say though, that I personally love TKO - I find it a much gentler scent than the Somnus blends I've tried, which works much better for me.

 

Good luck!

[eloiseattheplaza]

I've just started using Somnus, and it has worked so well that I'm a bit scared of oversleeping too. So I'm eager for replies here.

 

When you say that Temple of Dreams and Oneiroi leave you woozy, is that in a good way? That is, if you had a free weekend ahead of you, would you use them and enjoy the slumber, or do they leave you feeling grotty regardless of how much time you have? I do have occasional opportunities for sleep-ins, and a scent that helped me to make the most of them would be wonderful, but of course it's no fun to sleep in a scent-induced migraine aura, as it were.

[Electra]

From my review of TAL Nocturne:

 

Effect: I don't think that Nocturne actually knocked me out or helped me get to sleep any faster or more easily. I didn't have trouble falling asleep, but I didn't notice that I fell asleep faster or more easily than I normally do. What I *did* notice, both times I wore Nocturne to bed, was the following:

 

1) I dreamed, but when I woke up I couldn't remember if I had dreamed or not. I was only able to remember that I did five or ten minutes later. I usually have a pretty high level of dream recall (even higher when I use Temple of Dreams). Nocturne seems to blot that out.

2) I woke before my alarm feeling very refreshed, and didn't hit the snooze button at all. That *never* happens, and this oil was completely worth the price just for that effect alone.

 

Might be worth seeking out a decant to try.

[LunaSea]

I also have trouble getting my mind to settle down enough so I can sleep (although not to the extent you describe!) and have had excellent luck with TKO. My husband has even commented on how I just "conk out" when I use it. But I haven't had any trouble with waking up in the morning or feeling groggy. I haven't tried any of the other sleep blends so I can't compare, but I'm quite pleased with TKO.

 

Another thing to note is that the TKO just helps my mind relax and shut off all that crazy worrying. I can wear it while I read in bed and it doesn't knock me out or make it so I can't focus on my book. But when I shut the book and turn off the light, I fall asleep much quicker and more easily. Hope that helps!

[Lit Chick]

Quietude is my general-purpose sleep and relax blend. I have tried all the Somnium collection, and none work as well for me as Quietude. However, on my worst mind-racing nights, I find that Dragon's Milk is by far the most effective. It makes sense give the info about Vata above. It's a sweet, milky, soothing scent. I generally sleep like a child when I use it - literally. I makes me feel small and secure and innocent, like mommy just tucked me in. Nothing to worry or stress about.

[ivyandpeony]

whitemyrrh, no problem with starting the new thread - your problems are very specific, so it makes sense to have it stand alone for discussion. After you've had some time to get responses, try some stuff out, report back, and discussion has died down, I'll merge it into the big sleep thread.

 

Thanks to Armaita for quoting that post and to the OP. I had never seen that broken down before and it makes perfect sense. Ironically, I suffer from all three types of insomnia described at different times - which I guess makes sense, since everyone has all three doshas present and can get out of balance depending on what's going on with your life. I'm Pitta, though, and I do mostly suffer from that type of insomnia.

 

TKO is usually my sleep aid of choice - smooth lavender, sweet and creamy - and as I think about it, it definitely helps with the occasional Vata type insomnia I get too.

 

I would think that Quietude would definitely be worth a try, too, whitemyrrh - considering that it's designed to calm more than to knock you out, it might be good for someone who's so sensitive to sleep-inducers.

[jewelbug]

I'm putting in another rec for TKO. I definitely helps me to fall asleep, but what I've found even more amazing is that I wake up earlier than usual the next morning feeling better rested than when I sleep without it (even though I've slept for less time). No grogginess, in fact, just the opposite!

[kraken]

I have the vatta insomnia described above. My body may be dead exhausted, but my mind will not let me sleep. The best calm down and sleep scent for me is Wulric. Chocolate is very comforting to me and helps me think of non-stressful memories. Lavender and sage are other scents that are very calming to me.

 

I've tried a few of the Somnium blends, but they didn't do anything special for me. Some of them I even wound up getting out of bed to wash off. I haven't tried any of the TAL blends.

 

Have you tried wearing your favorite scent to sleep--a scent that reminds you of good, relaxing times and has you huffing your wrist? Sometimes I curl up with Haloa or other cakey scents (because I love baking and weekends baking with my dad were always good times).

[bigeyedgirl]

Another rec for TKO. I have chronic insomnia, and I got an imp and seriously, my sleep meds never worked this well.

[maiea]

I've tried all the sleep blends and TKO as well as Safari. =D I have to say the one that stops random mind-wandering and gets me to sleep is Baku, I also wake up feeling refreshed.

 

Somnus works well for me as a general "rest and sleep" blend, and I like it, TKO just knocks me out where I find I have a hard time waking up... but nothing beats Baku for me.

[oakmoss]

Try the homeopathic remedy Coffea Cruda, which you can get at many drugstores and natural food stores. It is for wakefulness with mental hyperactivity and it works like a dream (a nice, peaceful dream) with no grogginess afterwards at all.

[hackess]

Safari is a smooth creamy lavender that's really been helping me stay asleep lately. I put some on my favorite pillow and have been dead to the world for six hours straight the last two weeks. Unusual for me, as I used to wake up every two hours. I feel much more awake during the day, too.

[Lupelele]

hi all,

i´m almost pretty sure that there must be a thread about this, but i couldn´t find it!

i have the following problem for many years:

i cannot sleep well.

there are too many thoughts in my head. i don´t worry about something, i just can´t calm down & fall asleep, even if i´m tired.

when i go to bed & lay down, i seem to get even more awake.

it´s like i have too much energy...

this is driving me mad!

[pinkpepper]

Hi, sorry, I don't know how to help. I just want to say I have the exact same problem. Even if I go to bed at 10 I don't fall asleep until midnight!

Edited October 20, 2007 by pinkpepper

[mystery213]

Yep, same here. I am a bit of a 'type A' personality, and am up until 3 or 4 in the morning every night with thoughts and ideas that just keep running through my head. I have been this way since I was a kid, so it has been like this for about 15-20 years.

 

I find that Chamomile tea helps a bit, or Valerian, Skullcap and/or and Passionflower extract when it is bad. I use the TKO oil frequently, and the smell is soothing, so it helps a little. Reading books

sometimes helps get me sleepy too, as do warm scented baths before bed. Badger also make a great sleep balm.

 

And my little one (she is almost 5) is exactly the same, though the Badger balm and chamomile tea seems to help her quite a bit. I sort of wonder if it hereditary at all at this point, or if it has something to do with me being on that schedule while pregnant.

 

On the plus side, I accomplish a lot of stuff!

Edited October 20, 2007 by mystery213

[lilirose]

In terms of Twilight Alchemy Lab oils, there is one specifically for aiding peaceful sleep. It's one of the unreleased blends, available to forum members. It's called "Nocturne". There are some reviews of it available right here.

 

There are also the BPAL Somnium blends, as well as the Panacea blend Elixir IX: TKO.

 

I hope you find something among these that is helpful to you.

[Lupelele]

pinkpepper,

thank you

i immediately felt a little bit better, knowing that i´m not the only one with such a problem!

 

mystery213,

unfortunately, i can´t drink chamomile tee, because it reminds me so much of the long time i spent in hospital.

i cannot tell exactly when i started to sleep that bad. when i was a kid, i can´t remember having that problem. my sleep was always pretty light, but not like it is now.

when i read books, i think, i concentrate too much on the story & i tend to dream about it. but i know lots of people who told me taht it helps them to get ired when they read.

sometimes it helps me to fall asleep when i watch television (though i read that you shouldn´t do it when you want to get tired).

taking a bath helped for a while, but now it doesn´t anymore.

i just read the reviews about TKO & it sounds like something i should really give a try! if it at least calms me down a bit, i´d apreciate it!

 

lilirose,

thank you for the links!

nocturne sounds great & - like a mentioned above - TKO, too.

i´m still reading the somnium reviews, but i think some of them sound promising as well!

Edited October 21, 2007 by Lupelele

[Dinerdulcinea]

Hmmmmmmm...interesting problem...

 

Being chronically without sleep CAN have very severe effects on health, so I hope you can find something that helps you.

 

Have you considered meditation techniques to put yourself in a state of mind that is ready for sleep? If you have never done it, meditation can be very challenging at the beginning, but just keep working on it and it will become easier and more effective. An example of a meditation for sleep might include:

 

1st) putting your mind in a focused, quiet state

2nd) focusing on images of yourself sleeping peacefully and deeply OR focusing on telling yourself how drowsy you are becoming. Even if you DON'T actually feel that way at first, telling yourself over and over that you do can be very effective.

 

Affirmations as a part of meditation or as a separate exercise may also help. Try something like:

1) I am very drowsy. With each breath I feel sleepier and sleepier. I am drifting down into sleep.

2) Tonight, I will fall asleep quickly and I will sleep deeply through the night and I will not be awakened until morning. My sleep will be deep, restful and healing.

 

Say these or other affirmations over and over again. Some of them you may be able to say during the rest of the day, like #2 (because you are not telling yourself that you are sleepy right then, but that you will be sleepy when it is time to go to bed).

 

There are also some sound recordings that use white noise or pink noise to settle the mind and prepare it for a sleep state. You could try those also.

 

I hope that helps!