Secondary Analysis of an RCT that Demonstrated Benefit of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene in College Students with Sleep Problems

February 17, 2017

Angela Smith Lillehei, PhD, Linda Halcón, PhD, Cynthia R. Gross, PhD, Kay Savik, MS, and Reilly Reis, MS

CONTEXT: Sleep issues are prevalent and affect health and well-being. The aspects of well-being that are impacted by sleep interventions have not been well studied.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of lavender and sleep hygiene (LSH) compared to sleep hygiene (SH) alone on well-being as measured by the Self-assessment of Change questionnaire (SAC) at post-intervention and two-week follow-up, and secondarily to compare the SAC sleep item to results from standardized sleep surveys.
DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where one group received a lavender inhalation patch and practiced sleep hygiene (LSH) and the other group received a placebo inhalation patch and practiced sleep hygiene (SH) for five consecutive nights.
SETTING: Usual sleep setting.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-nine college students with self-reported sleep issues.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The SAC was completed at post-intervention and follow-up.
RESULTS: Exploratory analysis showed significantly improved well-being for the LSH group at post-intervention for well-being domains of sleep, energy, and vibrancy (P = .01, .03, and .05, respectively) and an overall trend of improved well-being in comparison to the SH group at post-intervention and follow-up. The SAC sleep item showed a similar pattern of change to the standardized sleep surveys with a statistically significant improvement in sleep for the LSH group at follow-up (P = .02).
CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the positive impact of the lavender intervention on three domains of self-assessed well-being are energy, vibrancy, and sleep. SAC results extend and complement prior findings of improved sleep quality.

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