Supporting the Body’s Nighttime Rhythm with Rest, Routine, and doTERRA Serenity^®

By Dr. Brannick Riggs, MD

When most people hear the word “detox,” they think about cleanses, special drinks, or supplements. As a physician, I often remind my patients that one of the most powerful detox tools is not found in a bottle. It is something your body was designed to do every single night: sleep.

Your body has its own built-in systems for processing and eliminating waste. The liver filters and processes substances. The kidneys help balance fluids and remove waste. The digestive system helps eliminate what you no longer need. But what many people do not realize is that the brain also has its own specialized waste-clearance system.

And sleep appears to play an important role in how it works.

Your Brain’s Nighttime Washing System

Scientists have identified a system in the brain called the glymphatic system. You can think of it as a nighttime washing or housekeeping system.

During the day, your brain is busy thinking, moving, solving problems, processing information, and reacting to the world around you. All of that activity creates normal metabolic byproducts.

Here is the fascinating part: research suggests that during sleep, the space between brain cells increases, creating conditions that allow fluid to move more freely through brain tissue. This movement is believed to play a role in clearing metabolic waste from the brain.

Researchers have studied this process in connection with substances such as beta-amyloid, a protein that has received significant attention in brain-health research.

In other words, while you sleep, the brain is actively engaged in its own natural housekeeping processes.

That changes the way I think about sleep.

It isn’t simply a period when your brain shuts down. There is important work happening behind the scenes.

Sleep Does More Than Rest the Brain

Sleep also plays an important role throughout the rest of the body.

As you move through the night, normal shifts occur in hormones such as cortisol as the body moves through its natural rhythms of rest and restoration. The liver continues its important work of processing substances for elimination. Sleep is also an important part of normal metabolic, immune, cellular repair, and recovery processes.

All of this happens while you rest.

That is why I encourage people to stop thinking about sleep as “doing nothing.”

Sleep is not laziness. It is active, intelligent restoration.

Unfortunately, modern life can make deep, restorative sleep more difficult.

We are exposed to artificial light late into the evening. Screens keep our brains engaged. Stress and the demands of everyday life can make it difficult to mentally switch off.

Many people go to bed physically tired but mentally wired.

Their bodies are ready for rest, but their minds are still racing.

Give Your Brain a Signal That the Day Is Ending

That is why creating a calming bedtime routine can be so valuable.

The brain responds to cues in our environment. When you repeat the same relaxing habits each night, those familiar behaviors can become signals associated with winding down and preparing for sleep.

Rather than expecting yourself to go directly from a busy day into sleep, think of your nighttime routine as a transition from go mode into rest mode.

Dim the lights.

Put the screens away.

Lower the stimulation around you.

Slow your breathing.

Introduce an aroma you associate with relaxation.

These do not have to be complicated changes. The power is often in repeating them consistently.

Where doTERRA Serenity^® Fits

One tool I often recommend as part of a healthy nighttime routine is doTERRA Serenity^® Restful Blend.

doTERRA Serenity^® combines essential oils including Lavender, Cedarwood, Ho Wood, Ylang Ylang, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Vetiver, Vanilla Bean Absolute, and Hawaiian Sandalwood to create a calming and relaxing aroma.

Aroma can be especially useful as part of a bedtime ritual because our sense of smell has close anatomical connections with areas of the brain involved in emotion and memory.

That is one of the things I appreciate about incorporating essential oils into an evening routine. When a familiar calming aroma is used consistently at bedtime, it can become another environmental cue that the busy part of the day is coming to an end.

Diffuse doTERRA Serenity^® while getting ready for bed, or apply it topically according to label directions as part of your nighttime routine.

Take a few slow breaths.

Let the aroma become part of the transition from ^{go mode into rest mode.}

Create a Routine You Can Actually Repeat

doTERRA Serenity^® is not meant to replace healthy sleep habits. I believe it is most useful when it becomes part of the bigger picture.

That might look like:

An hour before bed: Begin lowering the stimulation around you. Dim bright lights and start wrapping up work, household tasks, or anything else that keeps your brain in “go” mode.

About 30 minutes before bed: Put away screens when possible. Keep the bedroom cool and dark, and begin diffusing doTERRA Serenity^® Restful Blend.

As you get into bed: Apply doTERRA Serenity^® topically according to label directions, take a few slow breaths, and allow yourself to transition into rest.

And whenever possible, try to go to bed and wake at relatively consistent times.

The routine does not have to be perfect.

It just needs to be something you can repeat.

Want Additional Nighttime Support?

The broader doTERRA Serenity^® system also provides options for adults looking for additional support as part of their nighttime routine.

doTERRA Serenity^® Restful Complex is formulated to promote relaxation and restful sleep,* while doTERRA Serenity^® Stick + Valerian provides another convenient way to incorporate doTERRA Serenity^® into an evening routine.

These products are not meant to replace healthy habits. They are tools that can complement a bigger picture that includes limiting screen time before bed, dimming lights in the evening, keeping the bedroom cool and dark, and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.

Maybe “Detox” Starts with Sleep

When you prioritize quality sleep, you create the conditions for many of the body’s natural nighttime processes to occur.

You support the brain’s natural glymphatic activity.

You support normal hormonal rhythms.

You give the body time for its natural cellular repair and recovery processes.

You support normal immune function.

And perhaps most importantly, you are working with something the body already knows how to do.

If you are looking to support the body’s natural detoxification processes in a sustainable way, begin with your nighttime routine.

Sometimes the most advanced health strategy is also the simplest:

Turn down the lights.

Calm the mind.

Breathe in something soothing.

And allow your body to do the remarkable work it was designed to do while you rest.

Because every night when you sleep, your body is not simply shutting down.

It is restoring and renewing you from the inside out.

Looking for practical ways to put better rest into practice? Explore this month’s companion Product Spotlight, Why Rest Changes Everything, for a closer look at building a nighttime ritual with dōTERRA Serenity^® Restful Blend.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.