New research: Inhalation of essential oil blend significantly increases quality of life and sleep quality.
A 2017 randomized controlled trial compared the effectiveness of aromatherapy and acupressure massage on the quality of life in career women. 132 participants were equally assigned to four groups: placebo, Lavender, blend of Lavender, Clary Sage and Marjoram (equal parts), and acupressure massage.
The placebo and aromatherapy treatments consisted of a 20 minutes long diffusion three times a week with water, or water plus 5 drops of Lavender, or 5 drops of EO blend in an ultrasonic diffuser. The acupressure massage was given for 45 minutes once a week. Quality of life and sleep quality scores were taken at the beginning of the trial and after four weeks.
The aromatherapy blend had the greatest positive effect on both measured scores, with a sleep quality increase of 46% and quality of life increase of 39.7%. Both the Lavender inhalation and acupressure massage had significant, yet lower effects. The placebo group saw little to no improvement.
This shows that a blend of essential oils may be more effective than a single essential oil, presumably due to a synergistic effect. Whether this is fragrant synergy, pharmacological synergy or both is not known.
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Question: What if one was allergic to the plant Sage, would the Clary Sage cause allergies, also? What could be used instead of Clary Sage? I began using this diffuser blend and my sleep has improved by a lot!!! I have not slept this well in years. Thanks.
Hi Eva, Sage and Clary sage are very different plants in their makeup, but the allergic person should do a test before using anything new. Inhalation is the safest form to use. And if you don’t want to use clary sage, you can just leave it out of the recipe. We are glad to hear that the blend helped you sleep!
Would this work for career men too, or is it more applicable for women?
Hi Debbie, The specific study used in this article was with women. However, men can certainly benefit from essential oils! If a man is not too fond of this specific blend, you might try other oils. 🙂 ~Shane