Influences of Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation on Stress Responses during Short-Duration Sleep Cycles: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Lavender essential oil (LEO) was reported to improve sleep quality. We investigated the influence of aromatherapy by testing the effects of LEO on stress responses during a short-duration sleep in a single-blind, randomized, crossover trial. The subjects were twelve healthy adults who were nonsmokers without any known disease and who were not prescribed medications, and nine of these completed the study. After the subjects had fallen asleep, they were sprayed with LEO using an aroma diffuser. Before and after 90 min of sleep, α-amylase, chromogranin A (CgA), and cortisol levels in saliva were measured as objective stress indicators, and the Japanese version of the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist was used as a subjective indicator. A comparison of changes before and after sleep, with and without LEO, revealed that the cortisol level did not significantly change; however, α-amylase (p < 0.05) and CgA (p < 0.01) levels significantly decreased after LEO inhalation. A mood test indicated no change in mood before and after sleep, with or without LEO. Since α-amylase and CgA reflect the sympathetic nervous system response, these results indicate that LEO aromatherapy during a short-duration sleep cycle suppresses the stress response, especially that of the sympathetic nervous system.

The Effects of Inhalational Lavender Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality in Hemodialysis Patients

“…A mood test revealed no difference in mood before and after sleep, whether LEO was used or not. Because α-amylase and CgA reflect the sympathetic nervous system reaction, our findings suggest that LEO aromatherapy lowers the stress response, particularly the sympathetic nervous system response, during a short-duration sleep cycle 11…”

“…Because α-amylase and CgA reflect the sympathetic nervous system reaction, our findings suggest that LEO aromatherapy lowers the stress response, particularly the sympathetic nervous system response, during a short-duration sleep cycle. 11 A randomized controlled experiment was conducted to see how inhaled aromatherapy affected the sleep quality and exhaustion level of institutionalized old people. Individuals in the intervention group were given aromatherapy (lavender oil) inhalation half an hour before bedtime every day for a month, according to aromatherapy protocol.…”

Immediate effects of lavender soy wax candle on autonomic nervous system, stress, and reaction time in adolescents

“…Additionally, more recent research has discovered that sleep quality can be improved by lavender essential oil. It was found that the inhalation of lavender essential oil during a short-duration sleep cycle suppressed the stress response, especially that of the sympathetic nervous system [21]. Although there is clear evidence suggesting the health benefits of lavender aromatherapy, there is a current lack of studies investigating the effects of lavender aromatherapy with soy wax candles on stress parameters.…”

Examination of VOC Concentration of Aroma Essential Oils and Their Major VOCs Diffused in Room Air

“…Aromatherapy is a very popular complementary therapy and is widely used in many health care settings and services. For example, the effect of the treatment of migraine headache and sleep disturbances by lavender oil [ 1 , 2 ], suppression of the inflammatory mediator by tea tree oil [ 3 ], anti-inflammatory activity on bronchial asthma by eucalyptus oil [ 4 ], and management of agitation in dementia by melissa oil [ 5 ]. Some of the people believe that their routine healthcare on aromatherapy is low cost for preventing to take medical care for illness.…”