It's almost August ... can you believe it? Before we know it, it will be September and our kids will be heading back to school.

During summer, it can be difficult to keep kids on a regular sleep schedule; we want them to play and have fun while they can! But research shows school-aged kids needs about 9-12 hours of sleep[1] at night, which is especially important during the school year to support intellectual and emotional health.

Now is a great time to start your kids back on a healthy sleep schedule so that by the time school rolls around, they'll be rested and ready to head back. So, how do you help support your kids' healthy sleep schedule? Here are some suggestions[2]:

• Make a special bedtime.
  
• Pick a bedtime that feels natural for your child. Pay attention to when they naturally "wind down" or get physically tired, which is when they should be going to bed.
  
• Keep a regular routine and make it simple.
  
• Avoid caffeinated beverages like hot chocolate and cola, which can keep your kids from falling asleep.
  

You also might want to try using lavender Lavandula angustifolia ess
. Many kids (and adults!) find a few drops on the pillowcase soothing and relaxing. You can even lead your kids through some to help them relax and inhale the lavender aromatherapy essential oil.

A 2008 study in Early Human Development [3] also showed that the aroma of lavender bath oil may have effective relaxing and sleep-inducing properties. When used with mothers and infants, the data showed increased relaxation of mothers and infants.

Have you tried lavender with your kids? We'd love to hear more about your experience using lavender for sleep and relaxation. Please post your comments to share (and if you have other suggestions for helping your kids to get healthy sleep, please post those too!).

References:
[1] http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sleep.htm
[2] http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sleep.htm
[3] Field T, Field T, Cullen C, Largie S, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn.
Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants. Early Hum Dev. 2008 Jun;84(6):399-401. Epub 2007 Nov 28. Accessed 7/27/10: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18053656

* Note the information within this article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, prescribe, or cure. When using essential oils, it is best to consult with a Registered Aromatherapist or your primary care physician for questions.

So many of you know I am crazy about Lavender! It would make sense because my favorite color even as a little girl was purple. I tried to deny it for a short period but kept reverting back. I love to make many products from fresh local Lavender and I love to bake so I thought it only natural to try some lavender recipes. Recently I have made Lavender Sugar, Lavender Tea, Lavender Water, Lavender Lemonade, and as of tonight Lavender Tea Cookies with Lavender Frosting. Let me just say YUM! We made plain, Sugar topped and frosted and I think the votes are in for the frosted ones to be the best with a hint of Lemon they are a perfect addition to an afternoon tea or bedtime snack. Did you know . It is said that Queen Elizabeth enjoyed eating Lavender conserve and also used it as a perfume. Apparently she insisted that the royal table should never be without Lavender conserve. She also drank Lavender tea to help ease her migraines. Even today, French farmers graze their lambs in fields of lavender to give the meat a superb, fresh, floral flavour.

Some benefits of Lavender are~


Lavender may help ease insomnia. Lavender may help calm nervousness and anxiety. It may also be used to alleviate stress and uplift flagging spirits.

Lavender may help treat an upset stomach, as well as flatulence and colic. It may also be used to treat stomach and bowel infections. Lavender may help alleviate depressive and migraine headaches. Lavender when applied topically, may help alleviate colds, cough, asthma, bronchitis and similar problems in the respiratory system. Lavender tea may help induce sweating and consequently reduce the body temperature during fever. Lavender when applied topically, may help heal cuts, wounds, ulcers and sores. Lavender tea is also useful as a mouthwash to combat halitosis.

Well of to bed with a Lavender cookie and a cup of tea as well as a great book I picked up this weekend from a local authors. Goodnight all until next time... Next Lavender project Colorado pork chops With a Lavender sauce.

A full night's sleep is not a luxury — it's a basic necessity for healthy hormone balance. Once you dip below seven hours a night, you are increasing your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, and obesity. Some researchers believe that slow-wave sleep — the deep, dreamless sleep that you ideally sink into about three or four times a night — may actually regulate your metabolism. Sleep researcher break down sleep into five stages. Stage 4 slow-wave sleep, which begins about an hour after we fall asleep, is when we release our greatest pulses of growth hormone, the hormone that prompts the body to burn stored fat. When we're young, we spend about 20 percent of our time asleep in slow-wave stages 3 and 4. But as we get older, we may only spend about 10 or even 5 percent there. Sadly, just two nights of bad sleep will cut your satiety hormone leptin by 20 percent and increase your hunger hormone ghrelin by 30 percent. That one-two punch makes you much more likely to snack on high-carb treats, which couldn't come at a worse time for your insulin levels. In a recent study, University of Chicago researchers found that just three nights of poor sleep made the bodies of young, healthy test subjects 25 percent less sensitive to insulin. This level of insulin resistance is comparable to that brought on by carrying 20 to 30 extra pounds. In order to block fat-storage hormones and allow the full release of fat-burning hormones, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep a night!