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December 8, 2023Open Access

Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil facilitated the recovery of parasympathetic nervous activity and heart rate after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise compared to placebo.

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Why the study?

Autonomic nervous system variations during exercise in cardiovascular disease may cause adverse events, and whether aromatherapy enhances parasympathetic nervous activity during exercise remains relatively unknown.

Does aromatherapy with lavender essential oil improve autonomic nervous activity recovery in healthy men undergoing aerobic exercise?

Population

20 healthy men

Comparison

Aroma vs placebo conditions during rest, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and recovery

Design

Randomized crossover study

Key result

Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil facilitated the recovery of parasympathetic nervous activity and heart rate after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise compared to placebo.

Authors

KOKatsuki OkadaKSKoji Shimatani

Discussion

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Member takes

Overview

Aromatherapy may accelerate parasympathetic recovery after moderate exercise; leaves open effects in cardiovascular patients.

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=20)

Blinding

Single-blind

Randomization

Computer-generated random sequence

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does aromatherapy with lavender essential oil improve autonomic nervous activity recovery in healthy men undergoing aerobic exercise?

P
Population
20 healthy young men, free of anosmia and smoking history, underwent moderate-intensity aerobic exercise with and without aromatherapy in a randomized crossover design.
I
Intervention
Lavender essential oil diffused without dilution approximately 1 m from the participant's nostrils, starting just before a 10-min rest, followed by 20 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer and a 15-min recovery period.
C
Comparator
Placebo condition using distilled water diffused in the same manner, with the identical rest, exercise, and recovery protocol.
O
Outcome
High frequency (HF), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDRR) examined using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.surrogate

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.05

Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise accelerates the recovery of parasympathetic nervous activity and heart rate in healthy men.

Limitations

  • Participants were healthy, relatively young men, limiting generalizability to women, older adults, and individuals with autonomic nervous system disorders.
  • HRV analysis does not directly assess the autonomic nervous system, and there is no index to assess sympathetic nervous activity alone.
  • Participants might not have been fully blinded to the aroma or placebo conditions.
  • Safety of aromatherapy in individuals with cardiovascular disease during exercise remains unknown.

Cite This Study

Okada et al. (2023) conducted an RCT in Healthy (n=20). Aromatherapy (Lavender essential oil) vs. Placebo (distilled water) was evaluated on High frequency (HF), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDRR) via heart rate variability analysis (p=<0.05). Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil facilitated the recovery of parasympathetic nervous activity and heart rate after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise compared to placebo.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a732f1da7d283abeec23331https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3688636/v1
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Effect of olfactory stimulation from aromatherapy on the autonomic nervous activity during aerobic exercises2024 · 4 citations
  2. 2The Effect of Aromatherapy on Post-Exercise Hypotension: A Pilot Study2025
  3. 3Human heart rate variability under the influence of aromatherapy with sweet orange and pine oils2023
  4. 4Heart Rate Variability Sensing Can Reveal Characteristic Autonomic Modulation via Aromatherapy in Relation to the Effects on Feeling: A Study on Citrus Aurantium Oil and Rose Water2025
  5. 5Effect of Lavender Essential Oil Topical Treatment on the Autonomic Nervous System in Human Subjects Without Olfactory Influence: A Pilot Study2024