Effect of aromatherapy on sleep quality of adults and elderly people: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Authors: Jihoo Her, Mi-Kyoung ChoJournal: Complementary therapies in medicinePublished: October 26, 2021DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102739

Q2 JournalSJR: 0.816h-index: 58SCImago

Strong EvidenceMeta Analysisn=30 participants

Insomnia

In Plain Language: sleep, explained

The study examined the impact of aromatherapy on sleep quality in adults and the elderly. Results showed that aromatherapy significantly improves sleep quality, reduces stress, pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. This is important because better sleep can enhance overall health and well-being.

Key Findings: what this meta-analysis found about sleep

✓Overall effect size for sleep quality was 0.74 (statistically significant).
✓Effect size for studies in East Asia was 1.02.
✓Interventions lasting ≤4 weeks showed an effect size of 0.80.
✓Higher methodological quality (scores >8) correlated with effective results (effect size of 0.93).
✓Aromatherapy had significant effects on reducing anxiety, pain, and fatigue.

What This Means for You

For individuals considering reflexology for sleep issues, this study suggests that reflexology, similar to aromatherapy, may help improve sleep quality and reduce symptoms related to stress and anxiety.

What This Means for Practitioners

Reflexology practitioners can incorporate techniques that promote relaxation and sleep improvement, taking insights from aromatherapy's positive effects on sleep, stress, and overall well-being.

Study Design: how this meta-analysis was run

Blinding

open label

Control

none

Duration

varied by study, up to 4 weeks

Sample Size

30 participants

Limitations: what it cannot tell you about sleep

The primary limitation includes the variability in intervention types and durations among the included studies, which may affect the generalizability of the results.

Read Full Paper↗

Sleep: common questions

What does this study say about sleep?

What did this study find?

Overall effect size for sleep quality was 0.74 (statistically significant). Effect size for studies in East Asia was 1.02. Interventions lasting ≤4 weeks showed an effect size of 0.80.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a meta-analysis and we rate its evidence strong. It covers 30 participants. It was published in Complementary therapies in medicine, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.

What are the limitations of this study?

The primary limitation includes the variability in intervention types and durations among the included studies, which may affect the generalizability of the results.