3 Essential Oils That Wake You Up Better Than Coffee Can
Want to wake up without a cup of coffee? Try these essential oils, instead.
Flemming Fuchs via Unsplash Most people start their day with a cup of caffeine, but it's not always good for you so if you want more natural medicine to help you wake up in the morning, try some essential oils.
When the alarm goes off in the morning, do you jump out of bed, refreshed and ready for the day? Or do you groan, pull the pillow over your head, and curse the dog for not turning on the coffee pot?
According to the National Coffee Association, 63 percent of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee a day, up six percent from 2016.
Coffee drinkers average 3.2 cups of coffee a day, for which the caffeine content is a whopping 304 grams. In addition to coffee, the global community consumes 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola™ each day, with 35–45 grams of caffeine per serving.
What are the effects of caffeine in coffee on your health?
Caffeine pushes the adrenal glands to produce catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, stress-related hormones that trigger a "fight or flight" response. Caffeine gives you a lift in energy. That boost comes with a cost, though, as caffeine increases blood sugar and blood pressure.
Caffeine also acts as a diuretic, causing you to dump more fluid than you take in.
In Chinese medicine, the kidneys are viewed as the "bank account" for energy in the body. Caffeine pushes the adrenal glands (which sit on top of the kidneys) to produce more energy than they really have.
Initially, you borrow from your kidneys’ energy "savings account" and, eventually, you deplete the savings and then borrow against credit until even your credit line is exhausted.
At that point, you move into the realm of "adrenal fatigue" — not a complete adrenal failure, but adrenal insufficiency, often with a host of vague but troubling symptoms such as poor blood sugar regulation, fatigue, salt craving, and abdominal pain.
How can you break this pattern of relying on caffeine to jump-start your day? You can try natural remedies and herbal medicine.
This is when essential oils come in. They offer a powerful, healthy way to increase energy, boost athletic performance, and improve memory and enhance mental endurance.
Here are the top 3 of the best essential oils to give your mind and body a lift — without caffeine.
1. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
This essential oil improves mental performance while completing demanding mental tasks and also helps overcome mental fatigue.
Peppermint also has an astonishing ability to improve athletic performance including grip strength, oxygenation, and jumping distance.
2. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This boosts memory and concentration. Rosemary improves speed and accuracy of recalling events and details.
Menopausal women who inhaled rosemary essential oil remembered to do more tasks on time and completed them more quickly than women who did not inhale rosemary essential oil.
3. Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulafolia)
This inhibits cholinesterase breakdown which improves mental performance, alertness, and memory while reducing mental fatigue.
To start using essential oils and maximizing the benefits of these herbal remedies, follow these guidelines:
- Do a skin patch test before using any essential oil. A quick method is to place one drop of essential oil in the crook of your elbow, bring your hand to your shoulder (to close the elbow), and wait for 5 minutes. Look for any sign of redness or irritation. If the skin is red, itchy, and/or irritated, avoid using that oil. Do this test even if you use the oils for inhalation.
- Use an inhaler for immediate delivery of essential oils to the lungs and brain. Inhalers are easy to carry in your pocket for use at work or while traveling. Add 8–10 drops of essential oil or an essential oil blend to the cotton wick of the blank inhaler. Insert the wick into the inhaler tube and push the stopper into the tube. Screw the tube into the outer sleeve. Unscrew the out sleeve and inhale for 10 minutes at a time, 1–4 times a day.
- Use a diffuser for 5 minutes every hour or for an hour followed by a four-hour break. Continuous diffusion is very hard on the liver (the primary organ that breaks down and excretes essential oils).
- Add 2 or 3 drops of essential oil to your morning shower. Inhale the steam deeply. Place the drops on the outer edges of the shower. Essential oils will create a slippery surface underfoot, so avoid putting the drops where you stand in the shower.
- Rotate the oils you are using every two weeks to minimize the possibility of developing sensitivity to the oils. Use peppermint essential oil daily for a maximum of three weeks; then, take a 3-week break If you become sensitized to one essential oil, you may become reactive to all essential oils, and then you will have lost this powerful therapeutic tool.
- Choose oils you enjoy. If you dislike a scent, even if it is indicated for boosting energy and concentration, you probably won’t use it. Don’t waste your time or money on essential oils you won’t use.
Yes, you really can ditch that cup of coffee in the morning and still feel awake and ready for the day.
Essential oils are natural medicines — allies for improving alertness, memory, concentration and mental endurance.
Dr. Judith Boice is a Naturopathic Doctor, Licensed Acupuncturist, and Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology.