Effect of Aromatherapy Massage on Quality of Sleep in the Palliative Care Ward: A Randomized Controlled Trial

There is little evidence of the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in palliative care despite its popularity.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 30-minute single session of aromatherapy massage at night time on quality of sleep and fatigue in palliative care.

A randomized controlled trial from January 2018 to March 2019. After being stratified by sex, participants were randomly assigned to an aromatherapy massage group and a control group. The effects of aromatherapy massage were evaluated on the massage day and the next day using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire and the Brief Fatigue Inventory.

Of the 74 participants, data of 27 participants in the treatment group and 30 participants in the control group were analyzed. Analysis of covariance indicated that quality of sleep and fatigue did not improve owing to the aromatherapy massage, although usual fatigue in preceding 24 hours and enjoyment of life subscales of the Brief Fatigue Inventory showed signs of contribution (P = 0.07 and 0.09, respectively). Post hoc analyses indicated that higher age and performance status were factors with moderate correlation with better sleep (P = 0.03; r = 0.45 and P = 0.03; r = 0.40, respectively), and that older patients tended to experience greater improvement in fatigue (P = 0.02; r = -0.47).

A single aromatherapy massage session is no more effective than not having a massage in improving sleep quality in palliative care settings. However, older patients and those in poor health conditions may benefit from aromatherapy massage.