Sleep Balm
To use:
Rub Sleep Balm on neck, shoulders, temples or bottoms of feet to help with relaxation and sleep.
Ingredients: Colorado grown Hemp, New Mexico grown Lavender, Chamomile & Hops infused in non-gmo Sunflower Oil, New Mexico Beeswax
Lavender has been shown to decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature and have a relaxing effect on the brain after inhalation - and increase deep sleep and have a mild sedative effect, as well as waking feeling more refreshed in the morning (studies linked below).
Chamomile has long been used as an herbal sleep aid - in studies it has been shown to be useful for generalized anxiety and also as an antidepressant.
Hops have also been used as a sleep aid - they are calming and a sedative.
Hemp is anti-inflammatory and pain relieving.
I gather the lavender, chamomile & hops flowers from local organic growers. The hemp is biodynamically grown in Colorado. I infused the plant material in regionally sourced Colorado grown Non-GMO Sunflower Oil. The salve is made with New Mexico beeswax from organically managed hives.
****This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.****
LAVENDER RESEARCH STUDIES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017
OBJECTIVE:
Investigate the effects of lavender oil on the central nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and mood responses in humans after inhalation.
MATERIAL AND METHOD:
Twenty healthy volunteers participated in the experiments. The present study assessed autonomic parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature to determine the arousal level of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, subjects were asked to estimate their mood responses such as feeling pleasant or unpleasant, uncomfortable, sensuality, relaxation, or refreshing in order to assess subjective behavioral arousal. Finally, electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 31 electrodes on the scalp according to the international 10 to 20 system, and EEG power spectra were calculated by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Data was analyzed by comparing the effects of lavender oil on physiological and mood states with sweet almond oil. These assessments were measured before and after using paired t-test statistical procedure.
RESULTS:
The results revealed that lavender oil caused significant decreases of blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature, which indicated a decrease of autonomic arousal. In terms of mood responses, the subjects in the lavender oil group categorized themselves as more active, fresher relaxed than subjects just inhaling base oil. Compared with base oil, lavender oil increased the power of theta (4-8 Hz) and alpha (8-13 Hz) brain activities. The topographic map showed obviously more scattering power in alpha range waves particularly in bilateral temporal and central area.
CONCLUSION:
The findings provided evidence the relaxing effect of inhaling lavender oil.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07420520500263276
Aromatherapy is an anecdotal method for modifying sleep and mood. However, whether olfactory exposure to essential oils affects night‐time objective sleep remains untested. Previous studies also demonstrate superior olfactory abilities in women. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of an olfactory stimulus on subsequent sleep and assessed gender differences in such effects. Thirty‐one young healthy sleepers (16 men and 15 women, aged 18 to 30 yr, mean±SD, 20.5±2.4 yr) completed 3 consecutive overnight sessions in a sleep laboratory: one adaptation, one stimulus, and one control night (the latter 2 nights in counterbalanced order). Subjects received an intermittent presentation (first 2 min of each 10 min interval) of an olfactory (lavender oil) or a control (distilled water) stimulus between 23:10 and 23:40 h. Standard polysomnographic sleep and self‐rated sleepiness and mood data were collected. Lavender increased the percentage of deep or slow‐wave sleep (SWS) in men and women. All subjects reported higher vigor the morning after lavender exposure, corroborating the restorative SWS increase. Lavender also increased stage 2 (light) sleep, and decreased rapid‐eye movement (REM) sleep and the amount of time to reach wake after first falling asleep (wake after sleep onset latency) in women, with opposite effects in men. Thus, lavender serves as a mild sedative and has practical applications as a novel, nonphotic method for promoting deep sleep in young men and women and for producing gender‐dependent sleep effects.
Chamomile Research Studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3600408/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19593179
