Effect of Rosa Damascena Aromatherapy on the Sleep Quality of the Elderly Living in the Nursing Home

Introduction: One of the common problems of old age is sleep disorders, and most of the elderly have trouble getting comfortable sleep. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to improve the quality of sleep. Aromatherapy as a supplemental medicine is one of the strategies to improve sleep quality. Since the elderly make up a significant part of the country's population, paying attention to their health status and sleep quality can be effective in reducing the incidence of various diseases, improving the level of health, and reducing treatment costs. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of aromatherapy with Rosa damascena on the sleep quality of elderly residents of the Rasht nursing home.Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention study was conducted among ۳۵ elderly residents in Guilan Province, Rasht City, in ۲۰۱۹ using available sampling methods. Data collection was done using demographic information and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Questionnaire's psychometrics have been validated in Iranian studies. For aromatherapy, ۱۰% Rosa damascena extract was used by inhalation for ۱۰ nights. The data was analyzed using SPSS version ۲۱ software and descriptive statistics (frequency distribution tables, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon test).Results: Most of the patients were male (۵۴.۳%), married (۲۸%), had free income (۵۱.۴%), and were illiterate in terms of education (۵۱.۴%). The mean scores of sleep quality pre- and post-intervention were respectively equal to ۱۱.۶ ± ۲.۸ and ۸.۰۵ ± ۲.۵, representing a significant relationship (p = ۰.۰۰۰۱). The sleep quality in the dimensions of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, duration, and efficiency was significantly different before and after intervention (P = ۰.۰۰۰۱). However, no significant difference was observed in terms of sleep disturbances (p = ۰.۲۹) and daytime dysfunction (p = ۰.۲۲), as well as the use of sleeping medication (p = ۰.۴۵).Conclusions: Rosa damascena aromatherapy has an effect on the sleep quality of the elderly, and nurses can use it as a complementary medicine to improve the quality of sleep and the quality of life of the elderly.

Keywords:

Aged , Aromatherapy , Rosa damascene , Sleep quality