The Effect of Inhalation Aromatherapy with Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Essential Oil on Sleep Quality in Mothers of Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (A Randomized Clinical Trial Study)

Abstract

Aim: The present study was to investigate the effect of inhalation aromatherapy with the lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil on sleep quality in the mothers of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Background: Preterm infants and their hospital care are among the stressful events encountered by mothers. As maternal sleep disturbances are one of the frequent disorders at this stage, developing some measures to support mothers has been high on the list. Methods: This two-group randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted on 50 mothers of preterm infants at the 28-32 weeks of pregnancy, completing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) as the data collection tool. The study samples were initially randomized into two groups, viz., intervention and control. Afterward, the mothers in the intervention group received inhalation aromatherapy with the lemon balm essential oil by 5-7 drops on their face masks twice a day for two weeks. Then, sleep quantity and quality were assessed during the one- and two-week intervals following the intervention. The data were further analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: In total, 50 mothers of preterm infants were investigated in this study. The overall score of sleep quality in the mothers in the intervention group within the one- and two-week intervals at the post-intervention stage indicated a significant decrease, as compared with those in the controls (p<0.001). Moreover, the overall score of sleep quality for two weeks after the intervention compared with the one-week interval significantly dropped in the intervention group, as compared with the control one (p<0.001). Conclusion: It was concluded that inhalation aromatherapy with lemon balm essential oil as a complementary medicine could be effective in improving sleep quality in mothers of preterm infants.