GB39. Essential Oils for Mood, Sleep & Hormones in Midlife

If winter feels endless, your energy is low, and your mood feels a little flat, this glow bite is for you.

In this episode of Midlife and Glowing, Alicia and Nicole share how essential oils can be a simple, sensory way to support your nervous system, mood, sleep, and hormone balance—without adding another thing to your to-do list.

You’ll learn how essential oils work directly with your brain through the olfactory system, why they’re especially supportive during perimenopause, and which oils they personally rely on during the long winter months. They also explain why quality matters, how to use oils safely, and easy ways to incorporate them into daily rituals that actually feel nourishing.

If you’re dealing with winter fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, disrupted sleep, or hormonal ups and downs, this episode offers grounded, accessible support—one small ritual at a time.

⏱️ Episode Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Why winter can feel so heavy in midlife
01:15 How essential oils affect mood and emotions
03:10 How to choose clean, high-quality essential oils
03:55 Lavender for sleep, stress & inflammation
05:00 Eucalyptus for clarity, immunity & respiratory support
05:45 Geranium for emotional and hormonal balance
06:30 Rosemary for focus, brain fog & productivity
07:00 Citrus oils for mood, dopamine & energy
07:40 Clary sage for hormone support & cramps
08:45 Peppermint for headaches, digestion & fatigue
09:30 Carrier oils and safe dilution basics
10:00 Frankincense for inflammation, grounding & skin health
12:30 Glow reflection & starting with one simple ritual

📌 Resources:
🌿 Plant Therapy Essential Oils we love and use → https://rstyle.me/+UN0F6O_E5UB2YEIN68BJmg
📚 Wonderful Resource: The Essential Oils Hormone Solution book → https://amzn.to/4rwXBNs
🧘‍♀️ Radiant Rest Yoga Nidra Sessions → https://stan.store/thedailyglowlife/p/radiant-rest-yoga-nidra-sessions
📩 The Glow Letters (weekly inspiration for midlife wellness) → https://selfcare.dailyglowlife.com/glowletters

Transcript

0:00

If winter is starting to feel like it's been around for approximately seven years, or if your energy feels low, your mood's a little flat and everything just feels heavier than it should. This episode is for you. Today we're talking about our favorite simple sensory ways to shift how you feel without adding another thing to your to-do list Essential oils. Welcome back to Midlife and Glowing. I'm Alicia. And I'm Nicole. And today we're diving into the powerful benefits of essential oils, why they can be especially supportive during the long winter months, how they actually work, and we'll share some of our personal favorites that we use regularly to support mood, energy, sleep, stress, and even hormone balance. So winter can be tough on the nervous system. There's less sunlight, less movement, more time indoors. And for a lot of women in perimenopause that can amplify things like low mood, anxiety, fatigue, poor sleep, and even increased inflammation or pain. Essential oils are one of those small but mighty tools that work on multiple levels. They don't just smell good, they interact directly with your brain through your olfactory system. When you inhale an essential oil, it sends signals to your limbic system, which is the part of the brain that regulates emotions, stress response, memory, and mood. So basically they're like a shortcut to shifting how you feel without having to think your way out of it, which honestly, in midlife sometimes we don't have the energy for one more thing on our to-do list. And that's why we love them as part of daily rituals. They're supportive and it's not an overwhelming task to incorporate them into your life. Exactly. And as with any health habit, make it easy on yourself to incorporate them. I like to set up my diffuser the night before, so when I get up in the morning, I can just turn it on and I get hit with that instant mood boost. Right. I love that. And before we go any further, though, this part is really important. Not all essential oils are created equal. And when we're using something that we're inhaling or putting directly on our skin, especially in midlife quality matters, essential oils are highly concentrated plant compounds. That means if the plant was grown with pesticides, herbicides, or poor farming practices. Those residues can end up concentrated in the oil and in perimenopause when our bodies are already navigating hormonal shifts. The last thing we want is extra chemical exposure, and this is one of those areas where quality is essential. If an oil is extremely inexpensive, that can be a red flag. It may be diluted, synthetically altered, or made from plants that weren't grown or processed with care. High quality essential oils are typically sourced from organically grown plants, distilled properly, and tested for purity. That means no synthetic fragrances, no fillers, and no mystery ingredients. When oils are high quality, you're actually getting the therapeutic compounds that create the benefits we're talking about calming the nervous system, supporting mood, focus, sleep, and inflammation. Well, let's be honest. If you've ever smelled a high quality oil next to a synthetic one, you can tell the difference immediately. One smells flat or overpowering, and the other smells layered, natural, and more grounded. Right. A few things to look for when buying essential oils. Look for brands that prioritize organic sourcing, or clearly state how their plants are grown. Avoid oils that list fragrance or perfume instead of the actual plant name. Choose companies that are transparent about testing and sourcing, and when in doubt, trust your body. If something gives you a headache or feels irritating, it's probably not the right oil for you. This really aligns with how we approach everything at daily Glow, less toxins, more intention. It's not about being perfect, it's about being informed and choosing what supports your body best right now. Right, exactly. So let's walk through some of our winter favorites and how we actually use them in real life. Lavender is a classic for a reason. It's incredibly calming and supportive for sleep, anxiety, nervous system regulation. Yes, from a physiological standpoint, lavender has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels and promote parasympathetic or rest and digest activity. This is huge if you're feeling wired, but tired, which is very common in perimenopause, and it's also great for inflammation, which is at the heart of essentially every disease process. So that's a huge benefit. Here's how we use it. Diffused in the evening for sleep, diffused with other essential oils during the day for a relaxing effect, mixed with a carrier oil and applied to the wrists or neck before bed, or blended with clary sage in a carrier oil it's also great for stress. Eucalyptus is also amazing for respiratory support, immune health, and mental clarity. It has a very cleansing, opening effect. It's also just refreshing when you're feeling stuffy, sluggish, or foggy. You know which winter tends to bring. Yeah, absolutely true. Here's how we use it: in the shower add a few drops in the bottom of the shower or on a washcloth, diffused during the day for focus. It's great during cold and flu season. Geranium is one of my favorite oils. It's great for hormonal and emotional balance, and it's often used to support estrogen balance and mood stability. It feels very grounding and feminine without being heavy. When you're blending different oils together in the diffuser, it's such a great staple for so many different blends. Okay, Rosemary is fantastic for mental clarity, focus, and memory. If you're dealing with brain fog, this one is gold. And honestly, for me, every time I smell rosemary, I feel like I'm at a spa because it's just a classic spa scent. So it immediately makes me feel calm. Well, you're immediately making me want to go to the spa, so Right. Maybe it's time to book an appointment. Well, let's do it. It's also a, a great get things done oil. So it's great to diffuse when you're working on creative projects or when you have something you really need to focus on. And another thing Rosemary is known for is its hair growth. So it's often diluted in a carrier oil and applied to the scalp. Sweet Orange and tangerine. These are our go-to oils for mood support, and during winter, they're uplifting, energizing, and just make you feel happy. Yes, for sure. Citrus oils can help boost dopamine and support emotional resilience, which is perfect for seasonal blues. We like to diffuse them in the morning for an energy boost to brighten the day in a DIY room spray, and great for those afternoon energy dips. Interestingly, too, tangerine is also good for sleep when used in small amounts, so it could even be diffused in the evening with lavender and other sleep support oils. All right. Clary sage is a big one for women's health. It's traditionally used to support hormone balance, ease tension, and promote emotional calm. And it's especially supportive during PMS like symptoms that can still pop up in perimenopause. In fact, I have a roller ball blend with clary sage and other oils that is great to rub on the lower abdomen when you're struggling with cramps to ease those symptoms. You know, I, I ended up getting that from a friend, we were outta state at a hockey tournament for my boys. And I was like, I had the worst cramps. I was not feeling well at all. I was laying in the car and a friend's like, Hey, I have, you know, extra roller ball blends that I use. Um, that's good for that. And oh my gosh. It really did help. Like I, I could not believe it because I'm like, this isn't gonna do anything. Mm-hmm. Um, but you can bet I slathered my belly with this, uh, blend and it really did help. And um, that's awesome. You know, it's something I had even forgotten about because it's been so many years and mm-hmm. I was just really struggling with cramps and I'm like, Hey, wait a minute, I have this roller ball. So I got it out and yeah, it really did. I probably need to get a new one. One. Awesome. I don't know what the shelf life is on that, but, um, you know, it did help. It's not my favorite scent, but I don't care if it's going to give any sort of relief. Right. It's like, gimme me, gimme, okay. Bergamot is a great one for mood. It's calming, but it's also uplifting, which kind of feels like the perfect balance. Right, it's been studied for its ability to reduce anxiety and support emotional regulation, so it's a great one to add to your self-care routine when stress is high. And then peppermint. This is energizing cooling and great for headaches, digestion, and fatigue. And this one is powerful. So keep that in mind. Uh, but it's great for diffusing when you need a pick me up or even applied diluted in a carrier to the temples for headaches. Yeah, I will say I learned the hard way that this one is strong. A long time ago, I had put several drops of lavender into my bath water and several drops of peppermint oil and. It was actually painful on my skin because you know, when you put oils in the bath, they're gonna like, they stay on top. So really where it directly came in contact with my skin, it was actually painful. So you really do need to dilute that one in a carrier oil or diffuse it. It. When we say carrier oil, we're talking about apricot oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil among many others. I mean, that was a long list, but there are even more, and you use these oils as the base. And then you add in the specified number of drops of your essential oils. A good rule of thumb is to dilute your high quality essential oils at least 25%, meaning using 25 drops of essential oils in one teaspoon of carrier oil. Some oils that are more skin sensitive need to be diluted even further though, so it's helpful to use a resource or to look things up before you apply oils topically. And we absolutely have to include frankincense in this conversation. This one is often called the king of oils, and for good reason, frankincense is incredibly supportive for the nervous system, inflammation, immune health, brain health, and even skin health. From a physiological standpoint, frankincense has compounds that help calm inflammation in the body and support the parasympathetic nervous system. That makes it especially helpful during perimenopause when inflammation and stress tend to run higher. And during winter when everything can feel a little more achy, heavy or sluggish. I also think of frankincense as a grounding oil. It has this way of helping you feel more centered and steady, maybe less scattered, and it's amazing when your mind is racing or when you feel disconnected from your body. And emotionally frankincense is often used to support deeper breathing, meditation and reflection. It's a beautiful oil if you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed, or just need to slow things down. In addition to the typical diffusing or using it topically in a carrier oil. Frankincense is great for skin health, so it can be used in facial oils or moisturizers for added anti-aging skin benefits. So we've barely scratched the surface on this topic. There are so many different ways essential oils can support your health, and there are so many oils that we didn't touch on that are amazing. We just wanted to share a few of our favorites and most common ones that are used to make this topic less overwhelming. If you're new to essential oils, start with just one. One oil, one ritual. Yes, and if you've been listening to our podcast for a while, you probably already know that we're big fans of simple and starting small. So these small, consistent practices support your nervous system and help you feel more like yourself again. You can think of essential oils as a bridge, something that gently shifts your state so you're more receptive to rest, reflection, or calm. They pair beautifully with things like breath work, meditation, or even yoga nidra, so they're a great compliment when you're doing our radiant Rest Yoga nidra sessions. We'll make sure to share our favorite high quality oils in the show notes as well as a resource for using essential oils to support hormone health. And I know we both really prefer essential oils over candles. Because I know candles can have, you know, much more toxic ingredients. Yes, exactly. There's a lot of things that are in them. They're often made using fragrance. We've touched on fragrance before in this podcast and how that can be a hormone disruptor, an endocrine disruptor. So definitely essential oils are a much healthier option as a way to, you know, elevate your space and your environment and if you still want the candle effect, because that is. It is comforting and whatever they do have essential oil diffusers that look like a flame. I actually have one. Um, and it's kind of cool, you know, like you're still kind of getting that cozy ambiance, um, mm-hmm. Of a candle, but it's, you know, you're ditching the toxins and you're supporting your health. Before we wrap up, let's share today's glow reflection. What would it feel like to support your body and mood through your senses? Not by doing more, but by choosing what feels nourishing right now. You might even journal on this or choose one oil this week and let it become a small anchor in your day. Thank you so much for spending this time with us on midlife and glowing. If this episode resonated, we'd love for you to share it with a friend who's also feeling the winter stretch a little long, or leave us a review, it truly helps the show grow. And remember, small shifts really do create big impact. We'll see you next time.