In a world in which fitful sleep is all too common—more than a third of American adults don’t get enough rest—any serenity-inducing bedtime ritual is worth giving a go. But if listening to white-noise machines and banishing your smartphone to another room aren’t cutting it, it may be worth trying an age-old remedy: aromatherapy. Employed as medicine since at least 3500 B.C. and popularized in 1830s France, essential oils are now being reborn as ever-handy “pillow mists.” Despite their fanciful name, science proves that the ingredients typically used in the sprays produce measurable effects that help facilitate relaxation: Lavender calms the central nervous system, for example, while bergamot lowers blood pressure, and chamomile lessens anxiety.

Options abound for every kind of sleeper. Votary’s Lavender and Chamomile Pillow Spray contains Damask rose oil for the de-stressing sensation of a wander through a Yorkshire flower garden; simply mist your bed from about a foot away for the appropriate scent dispersal. Mauli’s Sleep Dharma Pillow Mist, meanwhile, helps get users to bed with soothing botanicals including mind-relaxing vetiver, pain-reducing geranium, and marjoram, a pine and citrus–scented oil that works to clear mucus for a sounder sleep. Made with similar scents, the subtle, earthy Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works apparently lives up to its manufacturer’s name: According to a company survey, 89 percent of users reported falling asleep faster than usual when using it, and 98 percent felt more refreshed upon waking.

Not into spraying your linens? Opt for Tata Harper’s Aromatic Bedtime Treatment, made to be used on the skin and concocted with hints of lavender, Roman chamomile, and clary sage. Once applied to your pulse points and palms, and inhaled through cupped hands, you’ll be well on your way to a restful, R.E.M.-filled, and altogether restorative snooze.