In the 2019 study by Brenda McDonnell and Patricia Newcomb, the researchers' goal was to find out if essential oils improved sleep. More specifically, the study looked at whether the sleep of patients in a cardiology clinic improved with the help of different essential oils. The site of the study was an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation facility at an urban, private, nonprofit hospital in North Texas.
The study was a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. That is, treatment with the essential oil under study was administered, which was compared to a placebo. For this purpose, 42 adult patients who were referred to the rehabilitation service by local cardiologists after hospitalization were examined.
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between the sleep quality of the two groups of patients. One group inhaled a placebo, while the other group received an aroma for inhalation containing a blend of Lavandula x intermedia (Lavandin Super), Citrus bergamia (Bergamot), and Cananga odorata (Ylang Ylang).
Cotton balls soaked in the different essential oils were placed at the patients' bedside for five nights. After a break, the subjects switched the respective treatment method for five nights.
Results were collected by having participants complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) after the treatment and placebo periods. Lower PSQI scores indicated that better sleep quality was observed.
It could be observed that the mean total PSQI score in the treatment with the intervention oil was statistically significantly lower (mean = 4.9) than the mean total PSQI score in the treatment with placebo (mean = 8). This suggests that the patients' reported sleep quality was significantly better in the essential oil group (χ2 = 4.5, p = 0.03) than in the group receiving placebo. Sleep duration was perceived to be the same, but participants from the treatment group had to get up less often to go to the bathroom. Also, the participants who were treated with the essential oils felt less chilly at night than the placebo group.
To conclude, the sleep quality of the participants who received the oils as treatment was significantly better than the sleep quality of the participants who received the placebo oil. Thus, it can be concluded that a low-cost, nontraditional aromatherapy treatment helps to improve sleep quality in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
Citation
- McDonnell B, Newcomb P. Trial of Essential Oils to Improve Sleep for Patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation. J Altern Complement Med. 2019 Dec;25(12):1193-1199. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0222. Epub 2019 Sep 26. PMID: 31556690.
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