Natural health: What essential oils can I use to help my toddler sleep?

Is lavender oil always the best to use to aid sleep? Not always, says Megan Sheppard

My two-year-old rarely sleeps through the night. I’ve heard essential oils can help. What would you recommend?

Many people immediately think of lavender essential oil when they are looking for sleep remedies. However, lavender can sometimes be stimulating, so it may end up having the opposite effect.

A more reliable oil is sweet marjoram (Majorana hortensis or Origanum majorana). Not only does sweet marjoram essential oil help to promote sleep, it also benefits the respiratory system and is a good antiviral oil as well.

You only need to use a little of this oil, as it is powerful in its action — 1-2 drops in a diffuser to prepare the bedroom for an hour before bed should be sufficient. Turn the diffuser off before your child goes to bed so as to not overuse the oil and diminish the effectiveness.

If you want to alternate oils or make a customised blend, then other oils to aid sleep include bergamot, Roman chamomile, neroli (orange blossom), petitgrain, sweet orange, and sandalwood.

You can add these to a spray bottle with witch hazel and hydrosol or floral water (1-2% essential oil concentration — so 1-2ml of essential oils per 100ml of spray).

I developed sciatica during my second pregnancy. It now occasionally flares up when I lift a heavy object. What treatment would you suggest?

The sciatic nerve stretches through the lower back, buttocks, and right down into the back of the legs, which is why it causes such pain when it flares up.

Sciatica is the term used to describe pressure on this nerve, triggering pain and difficulty with movement — which impacts the lower back, buttocks, and legs due to the extensive nature of the nerve.

Sciatica can be triggered by a range of events, from a pinching of the nerve through to a herniated disc in the spine. While men tend to be more prone to sciatica than women, it is very common in women during the later stages of pregnancy due to the additional pressure on the nerve.

Long term, sciatica that is left untreated can impinge on the immune system as well as the nervous system, however it is unusual for it to result in permanent damage.

You can manage the symptoms at home with the right exercises, hot and cold packs, and anti-inflammatory remedies or medication as needed.

To learn more about which exercises and movements will be effective for your particular situation, it makes sense to work together with a professional who will understand exactly what is happening in your body.

A therapist can also help to monitor your progress, which can be difficult to do yourself when you are still in pain.

There are a number of physical therapies that can help to provide
relief, including physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, osteopathy, reflexology, and yoga.

If you have severe weakness, lack of sensation in your extremities, and prickling or tingling, then you should see a doctor as this can indicate a more serious level of compression along the nerve.

Loss of control in the bladder or bowel are signs that you should seek immediate medical help.

Nutritional therapy is also worth considering.

Julian Whitaker, MD, of the Whitaker Wellness Center in California, has found that relief from chronic sciatica can be found by consuming large amounts of foods high in potassium. Such foods include sweet potato, tomato paste and puree, beetroot greens, live cultured yogurt, most beans and pulses, bananas, oranges, potatoes, prune juice, and carrot juice.

Keeping well hydrated is essential for any condition involving the nerves.