Lavender Essential Oil to Promote Sleep for People with Mood Disorders: A Qualitative Stud

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study is to explore perceptions and experiences of patients diagnosed with mood disorders and the use of aromatherapy with a patch infused with lavender essential oil to improve the sleep quality. This study examined the difficulties individuals with mood disorders have with falling asleep and remaining asleep. A complementary form of treatment for insomnia is the use of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil to assist patients to achieve restful sleep. The patients selected for this study had a diagnosis of a mood disorder, were admitted to an inpatient behavioral health unit, and complained of sleep disturbances. Data collection included observations of sleep patterns, clinical notes regarding sleep disruptions, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 10 patients at the end of a three-day intervention using skin patches infused with lavender essential oil as a sleep aid. Content analysis was used to analyze the interview responses. Three themes emerged from the study: (a) Lavender essential oil could be used to promote sleep; (b) Lavender was helpful in maintaining sleep throughout the night; and (c) People who used lavender essential oil could be expected to wake feeling rested and refreshed. These findings provided support that using lavender essential oil as a non-pharmaceutical aid for sleep enhancement could be a cost-effective method of increasing patient safety in hospitals. Policy changes should be considered to offer a nonpharmaceutical sleep enhancement to patients with mood disorders. Further research should replicate the study with inpatients on other units in the hospital.