It\u2019s a leaf you usually find in a pot of soup. Yet more and more people are slipping a dried bay leaf under their pillow before going to sleep. Where does the habit come from, what is it supposed to do, and what does science actually say?<\/p>\n
In short<\/p>\n
Putting a bay leaf under the pillow is an old tradition that has gone viral again on social media.
\nPeople do it for the scent, for relaxation and, in some traditions, for \u201cgood dreams.\u201d
\nBay leaf oil contains compounds also found in other relaxing scents, such as linalool.
\nBut no study has tested the effect of a bay leaf under a pillow on sleep.<\/p>\n
An old habit back in fashion<\/p>\n
Bay laurel has been part of folk traditions for centuries, from the laurel crowns of antiquity to the leaves kept in the house for luck. Placing a leaf under the pillow is one of those habits that resurfaces regularly. Sites like wecb<\/a> have asked why \u201ceveryone\u201d is doing it, and the habit keeps spreading online.<\/p>\n What people use it for<\/p>\n The reasons people give are always the same:<\/p>\n The scent: a crushed bay leaf releases a warm, slightly camphor-like aroma that many people find soothing. \ufeff<\/p>\n What\u2019s in a bay leaf<\/p>\n A 2017 study published in the journal Molecules<\/a> analyzed the essential oil of bay leaves from southern Italy. Its main components: 1,8-cineole (31.9%), the fresh compound also found in eucalyptus, sabinene (12.2%) and linalool (10.2%), a molecule also present in lavender.<\/p>\n Linalool is the most interesting one here. The authors cite earlier research reporting sedative effects of linalool on the central nervous system. But that research tested the molecule itself, not a dried leaf under a pillow, and the 2017 study didn\u2019t test any effect on sleep.<\/p>\n How to do it, if you want to try<\/p>\n Use one or two dried bay leaves, lightly crushed to release the scent, slipped inside the pillowcase or under the pillow. Replace them every few days, once the smell fades. Dried bay leaves are cheap and easy to find in the spice aisle. Make sure the leaf is fully dry, so it doesn\u2019t stain the fabric, and keep it out of reach of pets and young children, who might chew on it. It\u2019s the same logic as other scent tricks, like boiling lemon peels with ginger<\/a> or a glass of salt in the bathroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n The limit<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be honest: no study shows that a bay leaf under the pillow improves sleep. Online claims that it \u201clowers blood pressure\u201d are not backed by any research we could find. At best, it\u2019s a pleasant scent and a calming ritual. Avoid it if you\u2019re allergic or sensitive to strong smells, and keep your pillow clean, since yellow stains on a pillow can be a warning sign<\/a>. If you sleep badly over the long term, talk to a doctor.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the trick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a leaf you usually find in a pot of soup. Yet more and more people are slipping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":951172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[49,48,84,377],"class_list":["post-951171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe ritual: a small gesture before bed, like a cup of herbal tea, that signals it\u2019s time to slow down.
\nTradition: in some folk beliefs, bay leaves are associated with protection or prophetic dreams.<\/p>\n