0704 Effects of Aromatherapy on Sleep and Cognitive Function in the Elderly

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of sleep disorder increase with age. Insomnia is often attributed to the presence of psychiatric disorders and age-related physiological changes in sleep-wake regulation. Poor sleep has been associated with deficits in cognitive performance. In healthy people, essential oil of rosemary and lavender are used, which influence feelings about a person's surroundings. However, the effects of aromatherapy on both sleep and cognitive function in the elderly remain unclear. Here, we examined whether aromatherapy improved sleep and cognitive function in elderly volunteers. Method(s): The study included consecutive 10 volunteers aged 65 and over. Participants were non-smokers, and did not use psychotropic drugs. There were no problems with social life in any subjects. The Chubu University Ethics Committee approved all procedures associated with the study. We obtained written informed consent from each participant after fully explanation of the protocol. Aromatherapy was performed over a period of 4 weeks. Aromatherapy comprised the use of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange essential oils in the evening. The actigraphy and sleep diary were performed for 7 consecutive days for all participants. The actigraph (Ambulatory Monitoring Inc., New York, NY, USA) was worn around the wrist of the non-dominant hand. We analyzed actigraphy data using the algorithm supplied by the ActionW-2 clinical sleep analysis software package for Windows (Ambulatory Monitoring Inc.) and sleep diary. We also evaluated sleep quality using questionnaires. Cognitive function was evaluated with Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) and a revised version of Hasegawa's Dementia-Scale (HDS-R). Result(s): Total TDAS scores significantly decreased after 4 weeks of aromatherapy than at baseline. There were no significant differences in HDS-R scale and total sleep time between baseline and after 4 weeks of aromatherapy. The number of days of difficulty maintaining sleep was significantly lower after 4 weeks of aromatherapy than at baseline. Conclusion(s): Our findings suggest that 4 weeks of aromatherapy may have beneficial effects on sleep and cognitive function in the elderly.