These 3 Flowers Ought to Kick Your Insomnia

Perri O. BlumbergUpdated: Oct. 04, 2012

Blackout curtains still not doing the trick? We uncovered studies that show how certain plants can deepen sleep and stop tossing and turning.

For light sleepers: Jasmine
Place one of these varieties on your nightstand and experience a deeper REM cycle: Jasminum polyanthum (a vinelike plant with tiny flowers; see right)
or Grand Duke of Tuscany, a variety of Jasminum sambac (a more shrublike strain) that grows fragrant, roselike blossoms.

For stressed sleepers: Lavender
This plant’s flowery aroma slows heart rate and lowers blood pressure. In one study, scientists sprinkled lavender oil or an unscented placebo on the bedsheets of 12 female insomniacs and found that the women with lavender-scented sheets slept better and woke up feeling refreshed.

For fitful sleepers: Gardenia
This sweet-scented bud soothes uneasy sleepers. Ayurvedic doctors even prescribe it to manage anger and impatience.
Sources: apartmenttherapy.com, freewebs.com

Photos: Getty Images

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Originally Published: October 04, 2012

Originally Published in Reader's Digest

Perri O. Blumberg

A former food editor at Reader's Digest, Perri Blumberg is a writer and editor based in New York City. After attending Columbia University, where she received a BA in psychology, she went on to study food at a health-supportive culinary school. Her work has appeared in O Magazine, Men's Journal, Country Living, and on Mind, Body, Green, among others.