A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Chamomile Aromatherapy Combined with Tranquility Meditation on Sleep Quality in Elderly People

Abstract

The study was a quasi-experimental research which aimed to study the sleep quality in the elderly people who received the chamomile aromatherapy treatment combined with the tranquility meditation. The subject group in the study was the elderly people in Ban Sa Phang Health Promoting Hospital Sao Thang Sub District, Ron Phibun District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The subject were divided into 3 groups: the first group was treated by chamomile aromatherapy, the second group was treated by tranquility meditation and the third group was treated by chamomile aromatherapy combined with a tranquility meditation respectively. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index was used for self-assess the quality of falling asleep in the past evaluated before and after the experiment. The data were analyzed using Paired t - test and compared between group using independent t - test. The results represented the sleep quality. The first group of before and after treatment showed significant (p – value < 0.05). The sleep quality after treatment of all 3 groups such as the first group (12.60 ± 1.07 and 7.10 ± 1.20), the second group (12.40 ± 1.26 and 6.80 ± 1.87) and the third group (12.50 ± 0.97 and 5.80 ± 1.81) was better than before. The after treatment comparison between group such as the sleep quality of the first group and the second group showed significantly different. However the first group and the third group, the second group and the third group showed no significantly different. Therefore, the use of chamomile aromatherapy combined with tranquility meditation has primary effect on sleep quality in the elderly people.