little white truths

This will be a short review because there's not much to say about this product except that it doesn't work for me and it was a waste of thirty bucks.

Indeed, I've had to throw it onto my Project Pan list, just to make myself get through it - because as soon as I established that it did not work, I stopped using it. Since I have enough clutter on the bedside table as it is, Project Pan is a good way to encourage me to finish it.

This Works claims/product details:

• Get set for your best sleep yet with this stress-relieving pillow spray and wake up fresh-faced
• Feel the stresses of the day melt away with a few spritzes of this aromatic spray on your pillow
• Formulated with 100% natural essential oils of lavender, vetiver and wild chamomile to relieve tension, settle nerves and calm the body and mind, promoting a better sleep
• This aromatic concoction harnesses an almost sedative effect, encouraging you to drift off into your deepest sleep yet
• An independent study of 200 subjects (age 18+) including 100 ex-prescription users, compared to no product found: 89% of users fell asleep faster than normal; and 98% of users felt more refreshed in the morning
• RRP $28 AUD for 75ml

Verdict

Ok, so this product has had some great reviews (see eg Mecca's website) and I did hear from a couple of Mecca staff that they loved using this, so I'm prepared to believe that it does do something for some people, it's just that it doesn't help me.

By way of background, I've been suffering from severe hyper-arousal insomnia since June 2005, meaning I've had it for over twelve years now and I've tried just about everything to relieve it. Indeed, since we've lived in different places, I've even seen some of the best sleep doctors in the world and no one's been able to do much for me yet. 

This makes me a hard test-subject for a product like this, but I guess it also makes me a good one. If like me you have a medical problem, this mightn't be the right product for you - but if you're just a normal person who is perhaps going through a bad patch of sleep, then this might be worth trying.

It's a fragrant spray that you spritz on your pillow before bed. You can really smell the lavender, and lavender has long been known to promote sleep - so if you don't feel like going to Mecca and spending money on something like this, I'm sure you could pick up a bottle of lavender oil from your local health-food shop or chemist for a fraction of the price.

I will say that there's something calming about the scent, so if you're someone who responds well to fragrances, then it might be worth trying something like this. Mind you, I've long used scents to help lift/adapt my mood because I have a strong sense of smell, and this product hasn't done anything except make me feel a bit calmer - in the same way that lighting a candle in the evenings does for me.

I think that perhaps if you have an issue with anxiety or if you get home late from the office feeling very wired (or even if you have young children and feel wired after the whole dinner/bath/bed routine), then this product - or even a simple lavender oil - might help you relax enough to make sleep easier, but if you have a serious problem like I do and placebos don't work for you, then like me you might find that it's useless.

Still, if you do have trouble sleeping and want to try everything to manage the issue, this isn't the most expensive product on the market and you may decide that it can't hurt to give it a try.

Not for me.