芳香療法介入對中年婦女睡眠品質之影響

Abstract

中年婦女常有睡眠品質的問題，本研究探討芳香療法對中年婦女睡眠品質改善之成效，並比較芳樟精油與薰衣草精油的介入差異。研究對象為年齡介於50至64歲、主觀有睡眠困擾的中年婦女共79人，隨機分為薰衣草組（n=27）、芳樟組（n=27）與茶樹組（n=25），進行為期四週之睡前精油嗅聞介入。於介入前後分別施測匹茲堡睡眠品質量表（PSQI）與艾普沃斯嗜睡量表（ESS），以評估睡眠品質與日間嗜睡程度之變化。統計方法採 Wilcoxon signed-rank test 分析組內前後差異，並以 Kruskal-Wallis 檢定比較三組變化量之組間差異。研究結果顯示，三組在 PSQI 與 ESS 分數上皆有顯著改善（p < .05），惟三組間改善幅度未達統計顯著差異（p > .05）。結果顯示芳香療法嗅聞介入可改善中年婦女睡眠與清醒狀況，具社區健康促進應用潛力。

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of aromatherapy in improving sleep quality among middle-aged women and to compare the effects of ho wood essential oil and lavender essential oil. A total of 79 women aged 50 to 64 years who reported subjective sleep disturbances participated in the study. Participants were divided into three groups: lavender group (n = 27), ho wood group (n = 27), and tea tree group (n = 25). Each group underwent a four-week nightly aromatherapy intervention by inhaling essential oils before bedtime. Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) before and after the intervention. Within-group changes were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and between-group differences in change scores were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The results showed that all three groups experienced significant improvements in PSQI and ESS scores (p < .05); however, no significant differences were found among the groups in terms of improvement (p > .05). These findings suggest that inhalation-based aromatherapy may improve sleep and daytime alertness in middle-aged women and holds potential for application in community health promotion.