6 Essential oils to support your perimenopause

As a yoga teacher and an aromatherapist I’m a big fan of taking a holistic approach to all stages of life. And one way you can do this is with essential oils.

Firstly, lets go over some safety.

1. Don’t take essential oils internally.

2. Don’t use the oil neat on your skin, always dilute with a carrier oil, rapeseed oil from the kitchen will do, I use sweet almond oil.

3. Check oils for contraindications and if you are on any medication please check with your Dr if it’s safe to use essential oils.

The best way to experience the wonderful benefits of essential oils is aromatically, through inhalation (unless your having a massage that is - bliss!)

And the simplest way to do this is by dropping one drop of essential oil onto a cotton pad and taking a few deep breaths. You can also diffuse essential oils and there is a great range of diffusers on the market.

So, what essential oils will support you during your perimenopause? I could list loads, but I’m going to keep it simple with 6.

1. Bergamot. This is a lovely citrus oil, it’s uplifting and energising so great to reach for if you’re feeling low and tired.

2. Rose. This oil is for me the oil of self love. It opens our hearts so that we can put ourselves at the center of all we do and why. It helps us connect to what our heart has to tell us at this time of transformation.

3. Vetiver. This oil is the queen of sleep and for anyone whose struggled with their sleep during perimenopause this could be a great oil for you to try. It’s a very grassy in smell so I often recommend you use one drop of vetiver and pair it with a floral oil like geranium or lavender to sweeten it.

4. Rosemary. Great for concentration and brain fog. When I need to focus this is the oil I reach for.

5. Roman Chamomile. A really soothing and calming essential oil, this has become a regular go to for me. I find it helps release heat and tension from the body and mind. In turn helping me connect to my inner voice and wisdom.

6. Rosewood. This is a more unusual oil and is wonderful for protecting your energy, or aura. This can be great for when you need to preserve your energy for yourself or want to protect your energy from negative outside influences.

Other oils I regularly use and share with my perimenopause yoga students are Clary Sage, Frankincense, Benzoin, Lemon, Tea Tree and Sandalwood. I love combining essential oils with my yoga practice, I find it deepens and enriches my experience of both.

If you’re looking to buy essential oils I’d recommend you head to the ATC Membership List : Aromatherapy Trade Council and check out whose on there. Personally I use Base Formula and Neal’s Yard, I’m not affiliated to either.

I have some lovely free essential oils classes which you can access here: Energising Yoga Class w/ Lemon & Peppermint Essential Oils | 20 min | Beginner suitable | Uplifting - YouTube there not perimenopause specific, but were filmed during my perimenopause journey.

I hope this has been useful and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Lets grow Happier, Older and Wiser together ladies.

Love and hugs as always, Heather*

Top 6 tips - Perimenopause and Sleep

Waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep is a common experience during the perimenopausal years (unsure when this is, click here.)

Firstly please know that you are not alone. And also know that there are different tools you can use to help you though the emotionally and physically exhausting experience of disrupted sleep.

Here are my top 6 tips on how to cope with and hopefully improve your sleep and find more rest.

1. Acceptance Did you know that waking for a few hours in the middle of the night, known as biphasic sleep, is actually a very natural thing to do. In Medieval times (and before) everyone in the community would be awake for 2 hours in the night (usually between 11 and 1am), doing whatever they wanted, eating, household chores, chatting to family and friends (there was a lot of bed sharing going on!)

   So don’t worry, nighttime waking might not be normal for you, but it is normal, so don’t let it stress you out. If you’re awake, your awake. The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' - BBC Future

2. No phones in bed Numerous studies have shown that turning off or stopping looking at hand held devices, particular phones 1.5 - 2hrs before you go to bed has a huge impact on how quickly you fall asleep and the quality of your sleep.

   If it’s hard for practical reasons to turn your phone off in the early evening. Try just not looking at it in bed and see how that helps. 6 Ways That Night-time Phone Use Destroys Your Sleep | Psychology Today Canada

3. Stick to a set wake up time Even at the weekends, the more you can stick to waking up at the same time the better your sleep will be as your body and especially your brain loves to follow a pattern.

   Establishing a regular sleep pattern helps improve the bodies circadian rhythm and leaves you feel well rested - good sleep is so important for good energy levels and mood. Even when life is busy don’t let this slip as it really serves you well. Consistent Wake-Up Time: Sleep’s Surprising MVP - Headspace

4. Meditate Whenever you can but especially before you go to bed, or at 2am when you wake up and can’t fall back to sleep, try meditation or Yoga Nidra. There’s loads of free classes online (hmmm breaks the phone rule though, life is nothing if it’s not contradictory!)

   Keeping the body in a calming meditative state, where you can tap into your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest,) helps to slow down your heart rate, breathing and helps you to feel calm and relaxed. Even if your not asleep you can rest deeply in meditation so when you do wake for the day at 6am you don’t feel exhausted.

   Also, if you meditate or practice Yoga Nidra during the day, it can give you a even brief period of deep rest which will boost your energy levels for the rest of the day.

5. Exercise and nutrition Think about eating well and exercising regularly. I highly recommend for nutrition you look to experts in the Menopause field like Lara Briden, Rachel Boon and Karen Newby. Women I’ve found to be great sources of accurate advice on eating well during perimenopause.

   And for exercise, well firstly do exercise, don’t worry if things aren’t quite the same as they used to be, your changing and that aerobics class isn’t going to do what it did for you in your 20’s. Gentle to moderate yoga is a wonderful practice to adopt at this time, when you find the right teacher you’ll find not only do you grow more flexible and stronger, it will also more peace and calm into your life, giving you the tools you need to enjoy your perimenopausal life.

   Think about when is the best time for you to exercise - they’re isn’t a one size fits all answer to this, here’s a link to a great article which will help you The Best Time of Day to Exercise for Sleep | Sleep Foundation although generally speaking don’t do crazy cardio and then expect to just drop off to sleep

6. Magnesium Is known to reduce cortisol, which is a stress hormone, levels and have a calming affect on the brain, which helps to improve our sleep.

   Try to eat magnesium rich foods, such as nuts, leafy greens, legumes, soy products (organic if you can) avocadoes, banana and even good quality dark choclate Foods rich in magnesium: 11 to eat for better sleep | Woman & Home

   Or you could consider taking a supplement (please get advice from a trusted source, ie a nutritionist as to a good supplement.)

There are more things I could add to this list, cut out alcohol (not a perimenopausal woman’s friend trust me) reduce caffeine intake, get out into daylight as soon as you can when you wake up, but these 6 are a great place to start and I’ve seen them support so many of my own yoga students to a place where they feel happier and more in control of their sleep and night-time waking’s.

Until next time, I hope you are enjoying growing Older, stepping into your Wisdom and finding deep Happiness.

With love,

Heather*