Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches

According to data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 45% of adults with insomnia symptoms had turned to complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches in the past year.¹ The 2002 NHIS found that 65% of those using CIH for sleep had tried at least one herbal remedy.² Many patients do not disclose their use of complementary therapies, so clinicians ask their patients about them. Clinicians should also have sufficient knowledge to help guide patients.³

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy, the use of aromatic oils from plant compounds, has been studied as an insomnia intervention. It is low-risk and may improve sleep quality. In a single blinded, randomized crossover pilot study of 10 study participants with insomnia defined by a PSQI score of five or greater, either lavender oil or sweet almond oil (the control) was administered by a vaporizer during sleep. The results were confounded by some of the study participants turning off the vaporizer upon going to bed, but nonetheless, significant improvement in the primary outcome measure (PSQI) was seen in those who inhaled lavender oil.⁴ In another study of patients hospitalized with ischemic heart disease, lavender oil aromatherapy was associated with statistically significant (p<.  001) improvements in self-rated sleep quality, as measured by a self-rating scale. In this study, a few drops of lavender oil were placed on a cotton ball on a bedside table about 20 centimeters from the sleeping study participant’s head.⁵

Dietary supplements: Non herbal Compounds

Supplements that may be beneficial for sleep include minerals, vitamins, botanicals, and precursors of neurotransmitters thought to be involved in the regulation of sleep onset.