Can candles help you sleep? We often find many candles claiming to be sleep-inducing, or ‘relaxing’, ‘calming’ or our personal favourite, ‘soothing’. These words are more descriptive, rather than factual, but actually there are many positive effects to burning candles before you sleep.
Although candles cannot induce sleep, they have been known to lower blood pressure (and therefore stress), keeping you relaxed before you drift off. Many candles use ingredients and scents that, when burned, affect us in various ways which again can bring us into a state of calm. The sense of smell is far more powerful than most people realise when it comes to affecting our concentration and ability to focus or remain calm.
So what are these scents and how do they help?
We’ll use ours as examples.
Lavender is one of the most popular scents (we do a gorgeous Lavender, Apple and Tea tree scent) for lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and calm. It is also anti-inflammatory, so it calms any itches or skin flare up that may niggle before bed.
This candle also has apple in it, which has been known to control blood pressure and actually help you lose weight! Although many believe this is an old wives tale and we have no scientific evidence to back it up, it is certainly used in mediation for these exact reasons. Finally, tea tree oil has antibacterial effects and actually helps with over-sweating, helping to neutralise any bad smells in the vicinity.
Our other candle is Raspberry and Vanilla. Did you know that the feelings of home and calm often developed when smelling vanilla is actually because of an association with deep memories of childhood, of baking and plain food. Anything that can evoke those feelings will naturally relax you so that you are ready to drift to sleep. Like this candle that uses Raspberries, the more natural ingredients you can include the better. The great thing about candles like this is that they burn for a long time and actually keep releasing scents into the air after it has been blown out.
So does a candle have to have a scent to help with sleep? Not necessarily. Beeswax candles are fantastic for neutralising the toxins in the air. They work by attracting the negative ions and dissolving them. It may not be something tangible like a smell, but as we are spending more and more time at home, you will start to notice the difference in energy as you enter a room which has had a candle bringing in it for long periods of time.
