Do essential oils help you breathe at night?

Essential oils like eucalyptus and peppermint can make a stuffy nose feel cooler and clearer at bedtime, and that feeling can help you settle. Measured airflow doesn't change, though, and no study has tested a bedroom diffuser for nighttime congestion. The oils also carry real risks for young children, pets and people with asthma. Used sparingly and with a few precautions, they're a comfort measure, not a treatment.

Do essential oils open a stuffy nose?

Essential oils don't measurably open a stuffy nose, but eucalyptus and peppermint can make breathing through it feel easier. Their key compounds, such as menthol in peppermint oil, stimulate cold receptors inside the nose. That cool feeling reads to your brain as more air moving, even when the passage is no wider than before.

The clearest evidence comes from studies that measured both things at once. In a 1983 study, volunteers breathed eucalyptus, camphor or menthol vapor for five minutes. None changed nasal resistance to airflow, yet most people reported a cold sensation and the feeling of improved airflow. The authors concluded the vapors work on cold receptors in the nose.

A 2008 study in Germany found the same with menthol. Eighteen healthy adults inhaled menthol vapor, and researchers measured airflow and the temperature of the nasal lining before and after. Neither changed. Even so, 16 of the 18 said their nasal breathing felt better.

That gap between feeling and measurement doesn't make the oils useless. Comfort matters when you're trying to fall asleep with a blocked nose. It does mean an oil won't shrink swollen tissue or clear mucus the way a decongestant can.

What does research say about essential oils and breathing?

Research on essential oils for breathing at night is thin. NCCIH, the federal research center for complementary health, describes aromatherapy as the use of plant essential oils, usually inhaled or diluted on the skin. It says aromatherapy is sometimes used for insomnia, but that little rigorous research has been done, so it isn't known whether it helps.

The strongest trial involving a eucalyptus compound tested something different from a diffuser. In a 2004 German trial, 152 adults with acute sinusitis took capsules of cineole, the main compound in eucalyptus oil, or placebo capsules three times a day for a week. Symptom scores, including nasal blockage, improved more with cineole. Two people had mild side effects, heartburn and a rash.

That result is encouraging for cineole as a measured, swallowed medicine in a trial setting. It doesn't tell us anything about breathing eucalyptus from a diffuser, and it isn't a reason to swallow essential oil from a bottle, which can be dangerous. We found no study testing a bedroom diffuser for nighttime congestion or sleep.

Are essential oils safe for children?

Essential oils need extra care around children, and some shouldn't be used near babies at all. NCCIH says menthol, which is in peppermint oil, should not be inhaled by or applied to the face of an infant or small child because it may negatively affect their breathing. It adds that peppermint oil shouldn't be applied to the face of infants or young children because serious side effects may occur if they inhale the menthol.

Swallowing is the other big danger. A Melbourne children's hospital reviewed 109 young children admitted after swallowing eucalyptus oil, with an average age of just under 2. Fifty-nine percent had symptoms, including drowsiness, vomiting and unsteadiness, and 28% had a lowered level of consciousness. The author concluded that minor drowsiness could follow 2 to 3 mL of pure oil, and significant drowsiness should be expected after 5 mL or more. All of them were admitted to hospital, and all recovered.

Keep bottles closed and out of reach, and choose a diffuser a small child can't open or knock over. If a child swallows any essential oil, get medical help or call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 in the US.

For a child with a blocked nose, ask your pediatrician what's safe at their age. If your child often breathes through their mouth at night even when well, our guide to mouth breathing in children explains why that's worth a doctor's visit.

Can essential oils trigger asthma?

Essential oils can bother sensitive airways, though the research is indirect. Allergists writing for AAAAI say there are no published studies specifically testing diffused essential oils in people with asthma. They point to studies showing that diffused lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree oils release volatile compounds into the air, including terpenes, toluene and benzene.

Those allergists note that terpenes have been linked to more nighttime breathlessness and more reactive airways in people with and without asthma, and that there are anecdotal reports of breathing symptoms from diffused oils. Their advice is to use caution. Cleveland Clinic makes a similar point, noting that certain essential oils can affect indoor air quality and potentially respiratory health.

If you have asthma, talk to your doctor before using a diffuser in the bedroom, and stop if you notice coughing, chest tightness or wheezing. Our article on mouth tape and asthma covers other nighttime breathing considerations for people with asthma.

Are essential oils safe for pets?

Concentrated essential oils can poison pets, and cats appear especially vulnerable. A study of US and Canadian poison center records from 2002 to 2012 found 443 cases of dogs and cats exposed to 100% tea tree oil. In 89% of cases, the owner had used the oil on purpose, most often on the skin.

Signs appeared within 2 to 12 hours and lasted up to three days. The most common were drooling, lethargy, weakness, unsteadiness and tremors. Younger cats and cats with lower body weight were more likely to become seriously ill.

That study looked at oil put on or swallowed by animals, not oil diffused into a room, and we found no comparable study of diffusers and pets. Still, it's a good reason never to apply oils to a pet without a vet's advice, to keep bottles and diffusers where animals can't reach or tip them, and to give pets a way to leave a room where an oil is diffusing. If your pet affects your breathing at night in other ways, see pet allergies and sleep.

How can you use essential oils more safely at night?

The safest way to use essential oils for a stuffy nose is briefly, away from children and pets, and never by mouth. These habits follow from the safety research above:

• Use a device made for oils. Cleveland Clinic says most humidifiers aren't designed for essential oils, and using oils in one that isn't built for them can damage it.
• Keep sessions short and the room ventilated, rather than diffusing all night.
• Don't diffuse oils near infants or small children, and never put menthol or peppermint oil on a young child's face.
• Store bottles closed and out of reach of children and pets.
• Don't swallow essential oils, and don't apply them to pets.
• If you have asthma or notice wheezing or coughing, stop and ask your doctor.

What else helps you breathe at night?

If you want something that changes actual airflow, a nasal strip works differently from an oil. A strip lifts the sides of the nose to widen the passage just inside the nostrils, with nothing to inhale. How nasal strips work explains the mechanics, and how to sleep with a stuffy nose brings the main options together.

Some people pair the two: a few minutes of eucalyptus vapor before bed for the cool, clear feeling, and a strip on the nose for the night. If you'd rather avoid inhaled products entirely, our guide to using a humidifier for sleep covers adding plain moisture to the air.

Mouth tape is a different matter. It's for people who can already breathe comfortably through the nose with the mouth closed, and Cleveland Clinic's sleep specialist says never to use it with nasal congestion, nasal obstruction or a sinus infection. Wait until your nose is clear. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Our pick (paid partner): TitanAir Nasal Strips

If you'd like a drug-free, scent-free way to support nose breathing at night, our pick is TitanAir Nasal Strips. Titan says they are drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible, spring-loaded bands, so there's nothing to diffuse into a room shared with children or pets.

Titan says to put the strip just above the flare of the nostrils, on the soft part of the nose rather than the bony bridge, on clean, dry skin with no moisturizer, so keep oils off the skin where the strip goes. For removal, Titan says to loosen the strip with warm water and peel slowly from the ends inward. Titan says the strips are third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and they come with a 30-night guarantee.

Read next

• Does vapor rub help a stuffy nose at night?
• How to unblock your nose before bed

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.