Effects of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on sleep quality among retired older adults

Poor quality of sleep is one of the most common problems among the older adults. Non-pharmacological interventions are considered as a better option for the treatment of sleep problems in the older adults. The aim of present study was to examine the effects of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on sleep quality in the older adults. This single -blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 100 retired older adults. Participants were selected through non-probability-convenient sampling method and they were divided into two groups using simple random sampling. The intervention group received 2 drops of lavender essential oil and the control group received 2 drops of placebo in a glass of water, during bed time, for 7 nights. All participants filled out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index before and after the intervention. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics sleep quality score before intervention (p > 0.05). A significant difference in sleep quality was observed in the group receiving lavender  essential oil compared with the control group at 7 night  after intervention (p<0.001). lavender essential oil has a positive effect in improving older adults’ sleep quality. However, further studies are needed on a more general population in order to decide on its use as an appropriate non-pharmacological intervention to use in sleep problems.