Essential oils to calm a hypervigilant nervous system
In today’s crazy modern world, our nervous systems can get really dysregulated, and we can become in a state of increased alertness - and this can especially become a challenge over summer whilst the kids are off and we are juggling various responsibilities.
It might sound like something that most people just ‘live with’ in a society that demands so much from us, in our busy, mundane lives, but it’s actually a really important thing to take note of. Because it’s likely - if you’re suffering from being ‘hypervigilant’ - that your body is also letting you know, already, somehow. Your body will feel the effects of you being on a constant look out for danger - and it will be stressed. It could be due to day to day overwhelm and anxiety, or it could have been following a significant time in your life where you did feel at threat. Whatever caused it, it’s the symptoms that are important because that is our body letting us know it’s time for change.
If you notice yourself often having a faster heart rate, shallow breathing, tension, tightness, feeling jumpy, feeling fearful, anxious and panicky, it may be that your body is so stressed it is innocently on high-alert and feeling at threat. And this is no way to live - it can leave us feeling very unhappy, unwell and just generally out of balance - and it’s something that I know well, having suffered chronic fatigue syndrome in the past (where my body basically shut down due to feeling overwhelmed).
On the plus side, if you’re reading this and noticing it now, then this is an opportunity for you to treat this as your wake-up call - so you can begin to listen to your body more, learn to soothe your own nervous system, and create more peace in your life.
Of course, essential oils are one of the most effective ways to begin healing this as they have an immensely powerful effect on calming the nervous system. In particular, any nerve tonics or relaxants will help you begin to feel calmer - as you do the deeper work to discover what the trigger for your hypervigilance is and learn to heal that.
Which essential oils serve the nervous system?
There are many essential oils that have a healing effect on the nervous system and can help with hypervigilance.
My top 10 oils are below:
- Bergamot - not only is Bergamot like a hug in a bottle with its citrusy scent, but it’s also known as ‘Nature’s Prozac’ for its relaxing properties and for treating stress, nervous anxiety and tension - perfect if your nervous system is on overdrive.
- Roman Chamomile - a daisy-like flower, Chamomile is well known for its soothing, calming, healing effects on the nervous system.
- Melissa - also known as Lemon Balm, this sweet-scented oil has been used for centuries to treat anxiety and nervous disorders.
- Clary Sage - a dry, musky floral oil, Clary Sage is one of the most relaxing oils, known to have a ‘euphoric’ effect and as a sedative for nerves.
- Rose - a therapeutic sedative, Rose is powerful for emotional-root hypervigilance.
- Cedarwood - a woody oil beneficial for treating nervous tension, anxiety and stress, this oil is excellent also for fear and the more post-traumatic-event hypervigilance.
- Sandalwood - a beautiful woody oil that treats stress and anxiety and is incredibly relaxing for the nervous system.
- Valerian – with a musky, woody aroma, this oil is a natural sedative tranquilizer that is calming and grounding.
- Vetivert – a smoky, woody oil, Vetivert is the oil of ‘tranquillity’ with its calming, soothing effect on the nervous system.
- Patchouli - a hypnotic oil that is soothing and helps balance the mind and emotions.
Day to day aromatherapy blends to help soothe the nervous system
When you’re focusing on soothing and healing the nervous system and healing hypervigilance, I’d recommend a daily essential oil practice. In essence, what we are doing with essential oils is working to remind the body that calm and soothed is its natural state - so the more frequently we can do that, the more our cells will remember that we are actually safe.
Here are some blends to get you started - to superpower them, I’d recommend combining them with other relaxing techniques, such as yoga, deep breathing, or bathing.
Nervous System Soothing Blend #1 - Alongside deeper breathing, for when you’re ‘in the anxiety’
I’d recommend combining the use of essential oils with some calming breathing daily to reduce symptoms of hypervigilance. Something simple like ‘box breathing’ where you regulate your breathing by visualising a box with four sides, and breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, and then repeat for a few rounds.
As you’re doing this, I’d recommend the following diffuser blend:
Mix 3 drops Bergamot, 3 drops Cedarwood, and 1 drop Roman Chamomile into water in an electrical diffuser or candle burner and diffuse into the room for 30 minutes at a time.
Nervous System Soothing Blend #2 - Alongside embodiment practice (yoga, vagus nerve stimulation, dance, massage, etc)
I’d highly recommend moving the body to help you begin to reclaim your nervous system - whether via yoga, or dance, or some form of vagus nerve stimulation that helps you connect to the sensations in your body. As we do that, we begin to own our power to heal and choose calm.
Use the following oil blend to massage into your skin as a preparation for being in your body (even massage itself is a great way to soothe your body and nervous system).
Blend 3 drops Patchouli, 2 drops Melissa and 1 drop Rose together in 15ml of carrier oil such as Grapeseed oil, and mix well - apply to your body, pre-body work, via gentle massage, in the general direction towards the heart. You might like to focus on neck and feet.
Nervous System Soothing Blend #3 - Alongside bathing
Bathing is always a gorgeous way to sink into feeling nourished and nurtured, so my final blend recommendation is for a soothing night-time bath, which will help calm your over-stimulated nervous system ready for bedtime.
Use the following blend in your night-time bath:
Mix 3 drops Clary Sage, 2 drops Sandalwood and 1 drop Vetivert into 15ml Base Formula Bath Oil or Shower Gel, and pour into the warm, running water of your bath. Unplug your phone, light some candles, close all the windows and doors, and spend 30 minutes breathing in the aromas, and relaxing before bed.
These are my favourite nervous system soothing blends, though you can also get creative with the oils you like and mix and match, following the essential oil to carrier oil ratio set out above. Your sense of smell tends to be an accurate guide to what your body needs.
Do the deeper work - how to identify the deeper trigger
What we have described here is really working to soothe an activated nervous system’s symptoms. If you’re experiencing hypervigilance, I’d also recommend you work a bit deeper with a guide who can help you with healing the underlying deeper causes. A good book to get started is Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine which talks about trauma and how it can get stuck in the body. You might enjoy our previous article on Essential oils for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Let us know how you get on!
Nicole Barton
Consultant Aromatherapist
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