[[alternative]]Effects of Short- and Long-period Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation Improving on Fatigue, Emotional Anxiety and Sleep Quality among Middle-Aged Adults with Hypertension

[[abstract]] 背景及目的：過去的研究顯示高血患者常因身體不適症狀無法改善，容易產生焦慮與睡眠品質不佳的情形。因此，本研究目的在於探討透過口罩磁扣吸嗅薰衣草精油改善中年高血壓患者的疲憊、情緒焦慮與睡眠品質在短期與長期介入後的成效。 研究對象與方法：本研究於2022年7月至2022年10月期間，共招募了58名年齡在40至64歲之間的中年高血壓患者，以隨機分配方式將受試者分成吸嗅薰衣草精油的實驗組30名和吸嗅甜杏仁油的對照組28名。受試者除了填寫基本資料和使用醫療情形外，在實驗前、短期（15分鐘）和長期（7天）介入後分別填寫：情境特質焦慮量表、疲勞量表、維辛氏睡眠量表和量測血壓 (包括舒張壓和收縮壓)，並且進一步分析受試者的不適症狀、是否罹患其他慢性病以及使用輔助療法的情形。研究數據以SPSS 20.0統計軟體進行分析，比較實驗組與對照組的血壓、疲勞、焦慮與睡眠量表分數之差異。 結果：參與本研究的受試者平均年齡為 55.6 歲，其中 51.7%為女性。根據統計結果顯示，收縮壓大於或等於140 mmHg的受訪者有82.7%，因血壓異常產生其他不適症狀的人有63.8%，其中超過51.7%的人至少患有一種慢性疾病。將實驗組與對照組的結果進行比較，顯示吸嗅薰衣草精油15分鐘後，實驗組與對照組的收縮壓分別降低3.7 vs. 0.2分 (P=0.025)，情境特質焦慮量表降低15.7 vs. 8.9分 (P<0.001)，皆顯著降低。在實驗介入第7天後，實驗組與對照組的收縮壓降低9.9 vs. 1.2分（P=0.002），舒張壓降低6.9 vs. 1.3（P=0.033），情境特質焦慮量表降低15.6 vs. 0.6（P<0.001），疲勞量表在短期與長期介入後的比較，實驗組與對照組分別降低4.8 vs. 0.9（P=0.011），實驗組的得分跟對照組相比亦顯著降低許多。此外，分析維辛氏睡眠量表在實驗介入的前後差異，結果顯示實驗組與對照組的睡眠得分差異值為165分比4.7分，改善程度明顯高於對照組（P=0.043）。 結論 : 本研究結果顯示短期吸嗅薰衣草精油不僅可以降低收縮壓和緩解焦慮情形，在長期7天的薰衣草精油介入下，還可以改善舒張壓、疲勞狀況和睡眠品質。因此，建議吸嗅薰衣草精油可以作為醫療單位對於高血壓患者的補充和輔助替代療法。[[abstract]] Background and Aim： Previous researches indicated that Lavender essential oil was frequently used to relieve the adverse symptoms and sleep disorder in patients with hypertension. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of inhalation of lavender essential oil through aroma diffuser clip for surgical face mask on physiological responses and anxiety level, and sleep quality. Methods： A total of 58 adults aged 40 to 64 years with hypertension were recruited and assigned to either the intervention (0.1 ml lavender essential oil, N=30) or the control (0.1 ml sweet almond oil, N=28) group in a randomized control trial (RCT) from July 2022 to October 2022. In addition to the demographic characteristics and healthcare utilization of the respondents, the following parameters were measured before and after the short-period (15 min) and long-period (15 min for seven consecutive day) study interventions: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ 11), Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale (VHS), and blood pressure (BP) (systolic and diastolic blood pressure). SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used to analyze the data. Analyses of variances were conducted to compare the scores of the above parameters between the groups. Results：The mean age of the subjects was 55.6 years and 51.7% of whom was women. Results indicated that 82.7% of the respondents whose systolic BP was greater or equal to 140 mmHg and more than 51.7% of them had at least one chronic disease. Significantly lower systolic BP (3.7 vs. 0.2, P=0.025) and STAI score (15.7 vs. 8.9, P<0.001) were observed in the intervention group after 15 min inhalation of Lavender essential oil compared with the control group. At seven days, the systolic (9.9 vs. 1.2, P=0.002) and diastolic BPs (6.9 vs. 1.3, P=0.033), and STAI (15.6 vs. 0.6, P