9 Best Calming Essential Oils for Anxiety, Stress and Sleep

Aromatherapy with specific calming essential oils is one of the most common natural remedies for anxiety. Stress-reducing essential oils may help on their own or be a great addition to any other anti-anxiety approaches you are using. Research backs-up the use of aromatherapy for relieving stress, anxiety, PTSD, depression, and helping with sleep.

Read on to learn which essential oils are best for reducing stress and anxiety, and promoting sleep, how they work, benefits research, and tips like what to look for when buying essential oils.

[Post updated for 2025.]

What's in This Article

Note: The information in this article should NOT be taken as medical advice. It is always advisable to consult with your personal medical professionals when considering natural remedies. 

What is Aromatherapy?

How Does Aromatherapy for Stress Work?

While researching how aromatherapy works, I was really excited to find out about the direct connection between smell and the part of your brain that responds to threats. This connection fast-forwarded my understanding of how effective aromatherapy can be for helping people deal with stress, anxiety, PTSD, anger, and other mood challenges. 

It appears that aromas from concentrated essential oils send messages to the limbic system in your brain. The pathway is:

aroma
--to--
olfactory bulbs in your nose
--to--
the limbic part of your brain. 

The limbic system includes the amygdala and is the center of instinctive behavioral responses, mood, and memory.

The limbic system gets involved in your emotional responses (fear, pleasure, anger) and behaviors that are stimulated by drives for survival (hunger, sex, aggression, care of your children). 

It's the part of your brain that responds to stress with fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—so if we can relax the limbic system, we can potentially relax that response. 

Best Calming Essential Oils for Relieving Anxiety, Stress, and Insomnia

Which essential oil is best for you is a personal choice and will depend in large part on how much you enjoy the scent and safety concerns connected to your individual situation. 

Cost is another consideration when choosing an oil. Some essential oils are more expensive than others to produce because they are rare, difficult to extract, or it takes a lot of the plant to create high-quality oils.

For example, it takes:

• 20-30 pounds of rose petals to create 5 ml (.17 ounces) of rose essential oil, and 

• 10 pounds of orange blossoms to produce 5 ml of neroli oil.

A little goes a long way with essential oils. You use just a few drops at a time. Still, you may want to try less expensive options first.

9 Top Essential Oils for Calming Anxiety and Stress, and Improving Sleep

The first 6 calming essential oils on this list are less expensive than the final 3. 

Clicking on links on the anti-anxiety essential oils mentioned will take you to that oil in the Edens Garden or Nirvana Nurture brands. (I explain in the "Essential Oil Tips: What to Look For When Purchasing Aromatherapy Oils" section later why I like these brands.)

Here's my list of nine essential oils that research tells us have calming effects. The first six oils are relatively inexpensive—$10 to $20 per bottle of high-quality oil. The final three are more costly.

1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
2. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
3. Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)
4. Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
5. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
6. Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata).
7. Melissa, AKA Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) 
8. Neroli, AKA Bitter orange blossom (Citrus aurantium)
9. Rose (Rose centifolia, Rose damascene)

Blended Calming Aromatherapy Oils 

Some brands produce mixtures of essential oils for anxiety and stress relief. 

Here are some examples of undiluted calming blends:

De-Stress by Nirvana Nurture includes 5 essences on my anti-anxiety list: Bergamot, Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Sweet Orange, and Geranium oils

Edens Garden Anxiety Ease Essential Oil Synergy Blend has 3 from my list: Sweet Orange, Ylang Ylang, and Lemongrass. 

Safety Notes about Stress-Relieving Essential Oils List

Essential oils can be a wonderful addition to your wellness routine, offering natural support for relaxation and stress relief. However, their concentrated nature requires careful handling to ensure safety for you, your loved ones, and even your pets.

Safe usage of essential oils includes proper dilution with carrier oils before applying them to the skin and choosing the right oils for your specific needs.

I get into more detail in my Aromatherapy Essential Oil Safety Tips: What You Need to Know post, but I'll mention a few tips about oils on my stress-relieving list. (I offer lots of oil options so you can choose ones that are a good fit for you and avoid others.)

Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot oil can be phototoxic or photosensitive: exposure to UV rays after using them can result in burns similar to severe sunburns. 

This concerning negative side-effect is caused by a natural chemical called furanocoumarins (FC), which can be retained or removed during the oil’s production:

• Cold-pressed oils retain FC and pose a risk.

• Steam-Distilled oils leave FC behind, making them safe for sun exposure.

Look for bergamot essential oils labeled as bergaptene-free (BF) or furanocoumarin-free (FCF) or other product information that assures the FC is removed. The Edens Garden Bergamot oil linked in my recommended oils list mentions that "our bergamot does not contain furanocoumarins". 

Ylang Ylang Oil

While essential oils can provide wonderful benefits for humans, some are not safe for our furry friends.

Ylang Ylang is one such oil that can be harmful to cats. If you share your home with a feline, opt for another calming oil from the list to ensure their safety.

Melissa, Lemongrass, and Geranium Oils

Melissa and Lemongrass are OK for pregnant and nursing (breastfeeding, lactating) moms, with some cautionary notes.

Melissa, Lemongrass, and Geranium are contraindicated for people on certain diabetes medications and other pharmaceuticals, so be sure to check with your doctor before using these if you are on medications.   

The Calming Essential Oils List with Safety Notes

To make it easier for you to make decisions about which of the EOs are best for you personally, I'll provide the list of oils again with notations about safety concerns. Look back to the previous section for an explanation of these notes.

1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

2. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus): Pregnancy, lactation, and meds 

3. Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)

4. Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens): Meds interactions

5. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia): buy FCF or BF forms

6. Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata): harmful to cats

7. Melissa, AKA Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis): Pregnancy, lactation, and meds 

8. Neroli, AKA Bitter orange blossom (Citrus aurantium)

9. Rose (Rose centifolia, Rose damascene)

For more on essential oils, including use how-to's, dilution guidelines, medication interactions, and cautionary notes for new moms, kids, and pets check out this post:  Aromatherapy Essential Oil Safety Tips: What You Need to Know.

Calming Essential Oil Benefits for Mental Health: Research Results

Essential oils have been used traditionally around the world for centuries to alter mood, but scientific research into their effectiveness is relatively new and limited. (There tends to be less research on natural remedies since there aren't the big financial gains to be made like there are with pharmaceutical medications.)

Still, there are some impressive research results that back up using essential oils for anxiety and stress relief as well as other mental health improvements. 

Researcher Cassandra Moshfegh had this to say about her essential oil studies at George Washington University:

"Relative to pharmaceuticals, essential oils are much more economical and do not have adverse side effects. The orange essential plant oil showed a significant effect on the behavioral response in our study mice. This is promising, because it shows that passively inhaling this essential oil could potentially assuage PTSD symptoms in humans." 

While most of the research that I'll refer to below has focused on the oil's anti-anxiety qualities, interventions that reduce stress and anxiety have the potential of improving sleep for anyone who has difficulty relaxing for sleep or is kept awake by an anxious spinning mind. (This idea is confirmed by the journal article I talk about at the end of this section.)

I'll tell you about a few research projects in some detail here and then point you toward studies related to each of the essential oils that made my best lists.

Lavender Oil Benefits Research: Inhalation Reduced Anxiety, Stress, and Depression in Women Post-Partum 

In a 2016 study testing the impact of lavender essential oil, 140 Iranian women were divided into two groups after childbirth: an aromatherapy group and a non-aromatherapy control group.

The aromatherapy group was instructed to inhale from 3 drops of lavender essential oil every 8 hours for 4 weeks.

All the women were assessed for stress, anxiety, and depression using standardized tests at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months post-partum.

The results showed that stress, anxiety, and depression were all lower in the aromatherapy group compared to the control group each time the tests were done. 

I find it particularly striking that the positive effect went on beyond the period of time that they were instructed to use the essential oil. 

Lavender and Rose Oil Benefits: Aromatherapy Reduced Pain and Anxiety in Burn Patients

This lavender and rose aromatherapy study is a good example of the proof of essential oil's anti-anxiety benefits.

90 burn patients were divided into three groups:

1. Aromatherapy massage with oil that included lavender essential oil 

2. Inhalation aromatherapy using a blend of lavender and rose oils

3. Control group that was given neither of the above

The researchers' conclusions:

"The study results showed the positive effect of aromatherapy massage and inhalation aromatherapy compared with the control group in reducing both anxiety and pain of burn patients. Therefore, both interventions, which are inexpensive, and noninvasive nursing tasks can be proposed for alleviating anxiety and pain of burn patients."

Sweet Orange and Lemongrass Oil Benefits: Aromatherapy Studies Using a Stress-Inducing Test 

An interesting Brazilian study examined the impact of lemongrass aroma on men at three times: (1) after initial exposure to the scent, (2) during a stress-inducing "test", and (3) after the "test." 

• Forty men were divided into groups. The men inhaled lemongrass essential oil from a tissue for three deep breaths and then the scent was immediately removed. The lemongrass group experienced a drop in anxiety markers compared to groups exposed to either tea tree oil or water. All the participants were then put through an anxiety-provoking scenario known as the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT).

• The SCWT: While being videotaped and believing that they are being observed and evaluated by “professionals” in another room, study participants have to name as quickly as possible (with a two-minute maximum) colors presented to them. The trick is that they have to name the color of ink used to print the color name, and it is different than the color name (e.g., BLUE printed with pink ink has to be named as “pink”). To add to the stress, if they hesitate or make an error, a bell rings.

• The quick exposure to lemongrass aroma prior to the SCWT did not reduce the anxiety of the participants compared to the control groups during the color word test, but within five minutes after the tricky color-naming test, anxiety levels in the lemongrass group returned to their baseline while the other groups’ anxiety remained elevated.

To recap: The lemongrass scent immediately reduced anxiety. While it didn't impact anxiety during the stress-test, it did help the subjects' stress-resilience in that they recouped from the stressful event faster than people not exposed to the scent. 

The Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT) was similarly used to test the effectiveness of sweet orange essential oil. In the sweet orange aromatherapy study, the subjects exposed to the essential oil scent had less anxiety and tension during and after the SCWT than the control group. 

Effect of Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality

A 2021 review of studies that looked at the value of aromatherapy for insomnia relief and improved sleep quality found that:

1. There was significant effect on sleep quality across the studies

2. There were also improvements to stress, anxiety, and depression

Lavender and Rosa Damascena were two of the sleep-improving essential oils included in the research.

Essential Buyer's Guide: What to Look For When Purchasing Aromatherapy Oils

If you are new to essential oils—don’t be scared away by the tiny bottles they typically come in. With essential oils, a little goes a long way. They are used a few drops at a time.

Choosing quality essential oils is key to maximizing their stress-relieving benefits.

Look for oils that provide third-party testing, such as GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry), to confirm purity and the absence of contaminants.

Check labels for the botanical name to ensure you’re getting the correct plant species and avoid products labeled as “fragrance oil” or suspiciously cheap options, which may contain synthetic additives.

High-quality oils are typically packaged in dark glass bottles to prevent light degradation.

Organic certifications and trusted brands with strong reputations for purity and testing are also good indicators of quality.

I noticed that Edens Garden oils have high-quality indicators and also high reviews on Amazon. And I have purchased this brand myself with positive results. 

I included links for Edens Garden brand oils for the first six of the 9 Best Essential Oils for Relieving Anxiety, Stress, and Insomnia list earlier in this post.

As of Dec 2024, the last three oils on my list are no longer available from Eden Gardens. These are now linked to Nirvana Nurture essential oils. Their oils are organic, 100% pure undiluted, steam-distilled, 3rd-party tested, have both the common and botanical names on their labels, and dark bottles. And they get lots of high reviews. 

Anti-Anxiety Essential Oil Medication Interactions

While essential oils offer incredible benefits for relaxation, stress relief, and better sleep, it’s important to recognize how they may interact with certain medications.

Since these essential oils have a calming effect, they have the potential of increasing the impact of:

• High blood pressure medication
• Sedatives
• Sleep aids
• Anti-depressants

Additionally:

Geranium, and Lemon Balm may amplify the blood sugar-lowering effects of diabetes medications, increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.

Bergamot may increase the effects of statins.

Lemon balm may interfere with medication for thyroid disease. 

Using essential oils mindfully helps you maximize their calming benefits while avoiding potential risks. Keep medication interactions in mind to ensure safe and effective use. And consult your personal medical professionals to check on possible interactions if you are taking pharmaceutical drugs or have medical conditions. 

More Calming Essential Oils Research

These additional research articles are a sample of those available.

Study in Mice Demonstrated Positive Results with Lavender Essential Oil for Social Anxiety

Caputo, L., Reguilon, M. D., Mińarro, J., De Feo, V., & Rodriguez-Arias, M. (2018). Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil and Linalool Counteract Social Aversion Induced by Social Defeat. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 23(10), 2694. 

Lavender Inhalation Reduced Anxiety, Stress, and Depression in Women Post-Partum

Kianpour, M., Mansouri, A., Mehrabi, T., & Asghari, G. (2016). Effect of lavender scent inhalation on prevention of stress, anxiety and depression in the postpartum period. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 21(2), 197. 

Lemongrass Scent Helps Relieve Anxiety and Increase Stress Resilience

Tiago C. Goes et al., Effect of Lemongrass Aroma on Experimental Anxiety in Humans, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 21, no. 12 (2015): 766–773.

Lemonbalm Applied to Skin in Carrier Oil Reduced Agitation in Dementia Patients

Ballard, C. G., Obrien, J. T., Reichelt, K., & Perry, E. K. (2002). Aromatherapy as a Safe and Effective Treatment for the Management of Agitation in Severe Dementia. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 63(7), 553–558. 

Bitter Orange (Neroli) and Geranium Aroma Reduced Anxiety During Labor

Namazi, M., Amir Ali Akbari, S., Mojab, F., Talebi, A., Alavi Majd, H., & Jannesari, S. (2014). Aromatherapy with citrus aurantium oil and anxiety during the first stage of labor. Iranian Red Crescent medical journal, 16(6), e18371. 

Rashidi Fakari, F., Tabatabaeichehr, M., Kamali, H., Rashidi Fakari, F., & Naseri, M. (2015). Effect of Inhalation of Aroma of Geranium Essence on Anxiety and Physiological Parameters during First Stage of Labor in Nulliparous Women: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of caring sciences, 4(2), 135–141. 

Rose Scent Reduced Anxiety in Dialysis Patients and PMS Symptoms in Young Women

Barati, F., Nasiri, A., Akbari, N., & Sharifzadeh, G. (2016). The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients. Nephro-urology monthly, 8(5), e38347. 

Heydari, N., Abootalebi, M., Tayebi, N., Hassanzadeh, F., Kasraeian, M., Emamghoreishi, M., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2019). The effect of aromatherapy on mental, physical symptoms, and social functions of females with premenstrual syndrome: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 8(9), 2990–2996. 

Bergamot Aromatherapy (using an ultrasonic aroma diffuser) Reduced Pre-Surgery Anxiety 

Ni, C. H., Hou, W. H., Kao, C. C., Chang, M. L., Yu, L. F., Wu, C. C., & Chen, C. (2013). The anxiolytic effect of aromatherapy on patients awaiting ambulatory surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 927419. 

Ylang Ylang Inhalation Improved Serotonin and Cortisol Levels Post-Stressor in Mice

(Serotonin is a feel-good neurotransmitter and cortisol levels elevate in anxiety reactions. The improvements for both seen in these study results suggest that aromatherapy with Ylang Ylang can help with both depression and anxiety.)

Zhang, N., Zhang, L., Feng, L., & Yao, L. (2018). Cananga odorata essential oil reverses the anxiety induced by 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine through regulating the MAPK pathway and serotonin system in mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 219, 23–30. 

Large Review Article on the Use of Aromatherapy for Anxiety

Lee, Y.-L., Wu, Y., Tsang, H. W., Leung, A. Y., & Cheung, W. (2011). A Systematic Review on the Anxiolytic Effects of Aromatherapy in People with Anxiety Symptoms. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(2), 101–108. 

Anxiety Books and Recordings for Stress Relief

Anxiety has long been one of my counseling specialties. I've helped hundreds of clients relieve everything from a worn-out stressed feeling to general anxiety to fear of flying. I've also dealt with anxiety myself. 

My particular mix of academic study of the topic, work experience, and personal experience gives me unique insight into what anxiety feels like, what it’s all about, and how to reduce it.

Along the way, I've written self-help/therapist-help books and created anxiety-relieving hypnosis recordings so that more people like you can benefit with what I've learned. 

Anxiety and Stress Relief Books

Anti-Anxiety Hypnosis Recording

For Therapists and Hypnotherapists: 

Check out my downloadable pdf hypnosis script for helping people deal with past trauma and emotional pain, Release and Refresh; and anti-anxiety hypnosis script pdf download for anxiety: Discover Calm.

Note: I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this post, but they do not impact your cost. The links are placed for your convenience. 

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