The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Sleep quality in postmenopausal women

Sleep disorder is one of the most common problems among postmenopausal women. One of the alternative therapies discussed in this context is aromatherapy that its implementation is simple، easy and relatively with low cost. This study was performed with aim to determine the effect of aromatherapy with lavender on sleep quality of postmenopausal women This double-blind clinical trial study along with control group was performed on 76 postmenopausal women referred to Ahvaz east health care centers in 2014. The subjects were randomly assigned to experimental (N=38) and control (N=38) groups. The experimental group received 2 drops of lavender essence as a cotton ball that was already hung around the neck and they smelled it before sleeping until waking up for 3 consecutive nights in a week for one month، and the control group used placebo containing distilled water in the same way as the experimental group. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was completed at the beginning and end of the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software (version 19)، and paired t-test، independent t-test، Wilcoxon، and Mann-Whitney. Mean of total score of PSQI was not statistically significant at the beginning of study in the intervention group (9. 29 ± 2. 60) and control group (7. 86 ± 2. 12)، but at the end of the study، a significant difference was observed between the mean of total score of PSQI score in intervention group (3. 9±1. 98) and control group (8. 0 ± 2. 32) (P<0. 001). The results showed the effectiveness of lavender aromatherapy on sleep quality of postmenopausal women.