Ever since my first son arrived with his powerful lungs and energetic personality, me and sleep have not been best friends. Not by choice, of course, but our nights have gone something like this for the last 8+ years: fall asleep, wake up because some needs help going to the bathroom, fall back asleep, wake up because baby needs to nurse/have a diaper change/cry, go back to sleep, wake up because someone had a bad dream, go back to sleep, wake up because “how is it morning already.”
Now with five children, getting good sleep hasn’t gotten any easier. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade one sleep-deprived second of having our five little ones, but I did want to find ways to promote better sleep for everyone in the family. (Since long philosophical discussions with newborns about the importance of sleep for health haven’t worked to date.)
A Natural Remedy for Better Sleep…
One thing that I’ve been using for the last year or so that has made a noticeable difference in our sleep quality is a homemade natural sleep spray.
It has a variety of natural ingredients that help promote restful sleep and the fact that it has “sleepytime” in the name doesn’t hurt either (placebo works 30+ percent of the time, but if that helps me sleep, I’ll take it!)
All joking aside, I really have noticed a difference with my own sleep quality and in how long/deep my children sleep since using this.
Healthy Ingredients to Promote Better Sleep
The ingredients for this recipe evolved over time and I’ve finally found the combination that seems to work best for us. It is:
- Magnesium Oil – I’ve written about my own magnesium deficiency before and how using magnesium on my skin (transdermally) helped a lot. Magnesium oil is often very helpful for promoting sleep but can cause tingling on the skin, especially if a person is deficient, so it wasn’t the best all-over remedy for children. The solution I found was to apply a small amount to the feet only before bed and put socks on the kids. The feet are tougher and didn’t seem to tingle like the rest of the body did, and this helped improve sleep. Also, I don’t like giving children isolated nutrients internally, so this was a way for them to absorb what they needed without getting too much. You can buy pre-made magnesium oil (easier) or make your own magnesium oil at home (cheaper). Also, since I always get asked- yes, I realize it is not actually an “oil” but it is called magnesium oil because it feels like an oil when you apply it.
- Lavender Essential Oil – Lavender is considered a calming herb and it helps promote restful sleep. I only use it diluted in recipes like this and even a small amount can have a potent effect on children, so I’m careful not to use much. (I buy my essential oils in bulk from here)
- Chamomile Essential Oil – Another calming herb. Chamomile tea is often suggested before bed or during times of stress to help calm and promote sleep. In essential oil form, it is extremely potent and helpful for promoting sleep. (I buy my essential oils in bulk from here)
I’ve also found that for drier skin, using a homemade magnesium body butter recipe like this one and adding lavender and chamomile essential oils is an effective way to get the same result while moisturizing skin. This version is also less likely to sting at all.
Foot Spray Ingredients Needed
- 4 ounces of magnesium oil (buy it here or make your own with this recipe)
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil (or more if desired) I get mine here
- 10 drops Roman Chamomile Essential oil (or more if desired) I get mine here
Foot Spray Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a 4 ounce or larger glass spray bottle and shake gently to mix.
- A bigger spray bottle can be used if desired and the recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- Will yield 24-48 applications (or more) depending on how much is used each time.
Other Sleep Tips
I’ve found that optimizing sleep environment also goes a long way toward improving sleep. Here are some things that worked for us:
- Ditching the nightlight for our children
- Practical tips to improve sleep naturally
- Guide to getting great sleep checklist
- Why sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health
How do you sleep? Ever tried natural remedies to help you sleep more easily? Share them below!
Is there a way to use dried herbs instead of essential oils in this spray?
My magnesium oil & essential oils don’t blend. The EOs sit on top of the magnesium. Is this expected? No matter how much I shake it, they
immediately separate.
Do you have difficulty with the pump spray part of the glass bottle not working after a few months? Yes i rinse/wash but they all quit working!
Could I use Roman Camomile EO in this recipe? Would it work just as well? Thanks.
I’ve never used it in this recipe, but I don’t see why not 🙂
Since essentials oils are very strong should I dilute them with a base before mixing with the magnesium oil.
Thank You for this awesome foot spray recipe for insomnias…I have been sleeping like a rock since making it and using it. I have been making it for friends at work. I can’t wait to see their reactions.
Hi I have read all the above comments, but none answered my question, is chamomile Roman 2.5 % in jojoba alright to use. Cheers 🙂
Yes you can. It won’t be as concentrated as with pure chamomile essential oil, but it will work.
Please give me more info…I heard that anyone with a ragweed allergy should avoid chamomile. Is this true for all types of chamomile? Thx
How do you keep from the body lotion from melting? I am gonna start selling mine and it melts, even with beeswax. What do I do so I can ship it without melting??
Vicki, I also just started using this on my toddlers feet. Do you mind if I ask which magnesium oil were you using that caused their raw skin?
Life flo, pure magnesium oil. I just started trying it again. Last time, after about 4 days, my 2 yr old had redness between the toes. We 4 yr old was fine. This time, I diluted a small 4 oz glass spray bottle with half spring water, half magnesium oil, 4 drops lavender. It’s been a few days and seems to be good so far. They love their nightly foot massages. 🙂 love this blog 🙂
You never put lotion or anything between the toes.. Just spread on soles of their feet..
I started using magnesium oil spray, on my 2 and 3 year olds feet. They loved it, but After about 2 weeks, they were getting raw between the toes. Have you figured out a way to dilute for sensitive toddler skin? I’ve read spring water and distilled water, but I haven’t found anything about ratios
Thank you!
This is great! i use epsom salts and EOs in my daughters bath and then let her chose between a few calming/relaxing EO blends and massage it with some carrier oil into the soles of her feet at bed. I have to go for a military detachment and she will be with my parents and I’ve been brainstorming on the best/easiest way to ask my mom to incorporate this all into her bed time routine with them and this combines the bath and the massage benefits. My mother works at our hospital back home, so is very mainstream with her methods for treating illnesses and issues that arise, but is respectful of the way i’ve chosen the raise my daughter. This will make the transition a little easier. I’ve also thought of making a happy perfume for my daughter to take with her to daycare out of a love blend i use in my homemade facial mosturizer ( i believe its actually a variation of you whipped body butter). I figure its intended to foster a feeling of love and will hopefully make her feel a little closer to me since i probably smell strongly of it in the mornings and scent is tied very strongly to our memories.
I have recently started using Magnesium oil spray on the bottom of my feet at night and have been sleeping like a baby! I might try adding the Chamomile and lavender at some point but for now the difference I’ve seen with just the Magnesium is amazing!
Would regular chamomile EO work?
Was wondering about your switch from doTerra to the company you link to now for buying EO in bulk? Are your top 5 EO used daily in your family still the same? What would be the next 5 or more EO’s that you would suggest after your 5 favorites? Learning so much from your site, thank you!
How many sprays per foot do you use? Thank you! I made this and am excited to see if it helps with my sleep issues that I’ve had since having my son 8 months ago!
Since I’ve started eating a big spoonful of nutritional/brewers yeast every day I have been sleeping better! My chiropractor told me if mom is not sleeping well baby won’t sleep well either he recommended taking a good quality melatonin for a while to get my sleep hormones straightened out. Thanks for the post Katie!;)
Hi, Why do you recommend putting it on feet, specifically? Thank you!
It absorbs quickly through the feet. 🙂
Where do you get your glass spray bottles with that trigger spray top? I like it better than the press down pump style I’ve been finding. Thanks!
DON’T make your own magnesium oil that way… those mg flakes are NOT meant to be used that way. They contain impurities, heavy metal traces etc…
How would you recommend that it be made, if at all? Would appreciate information/solution, not just saying that we shouldn’t do it, give a link or recipe please! Thank you!