Claim: A viral instagram post claims that a gentle massage on the chest with coconut oil helps with better sleep for a person and must be included as a part of the daily routine.
Facts: Research suggests that coconut oil intake might help reduce sleep or stress, but there is no conclusive scientific evidence that coconut oil helps in breathing and improving the quality of sleep. Doctors suggest exercising daily, reducing screen time and having a fixed sleep schedule for improved sleep quality.
Stressed and not able to sleep at night? Unable to breathe properly? Your nose feels blocked? An Instagram post suggests that rubbing warm coconut oil on the chest can help you relax and breathe easily during sleep. Making this a self-care ritual before bedtime would help improve the quality of sleep.
“The warmth of the oil combined with gentle chest massage may help create a soothing feeling, support easier breathing, and promote better sleep — especially during cold nights or seasonal congestion,” claims the post shared by nutrizenage with 1.78 lakh followers. It adds that coconut oil has calming and moisturising properties, helping the body calm, relax and rest.
What do the studies say?
A 2017 study conducted on rabbits to test whether inhaling virgin coconut oil (VCO) helps with asthma found that the asthma-related symptoms could be relieved, but not cured.
“Percentage of inflammatory cells infiltration, thickness of epithelium and mucosa regions, and the numbers of goblet and proliferative cells were reduced in the rescue group but not in the preventive group,” the study stated.
Another 2017 study, titled “The Effects of Aromatherapy Essential Oil Inhalation on Stress, Sleep Quality and Immunity in Healthy Adults,” examined whether inhaling essential oils could help reduce stress and improve sleep. The researchers found that participants who underwent aromatherapy experienced lower stress levels and better sleep quality. The study also reported a modest reduction in symptoms of depression among participants.
“Aromatherapy via essential oil inhalation was effective in mitigating perceived stress and depression, and improved sleep quality. The results of this experiment using essential oil inhalation showed that the subjects were effective in reducing the perceived stress, depression, and in increasing the sleep quality but not in the objective stress index reduction and immune enhancement effect,” the study found.
The research was conducted on 60 people, out of whom 30 people underwent aromatherapy while the others were on the waiting list.
Expert opinion
Dr Jay Bhanushali, a pulmonologist at Zynova Shalby Hospital in Mumbai, says that understanding sleep problems should be evaluated by a doctor instead of studying home remedies like coconut oil. “There are no conclusive studies or research available to validate the claim that coconut oil intake can aid in breathing properly,” he said.
Dr Bhanushali emphasised that coconut oil doesn’t have any proven properties that could directly reduce stress and improve sleep. He also noted that applying coconut oil might feel comforting because of the massage and soothing sensation.
“To stay stress-free, one must opt for relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation, exercising daily, limiting screentime before sleeping and sticking to a structured sleep schedule,” Dr Bhanushali advised.
This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS.
