Shao-Min Chang1, Chung-Hey Chen2. 1. Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 2. Institute of Allied Health Sciences and Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Abstract
AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamomile tea on sleep quality, fatigue and depression in postpartum women. BACKGROUND:Sleep quality is a significant issue for postnatal women. Chamomile is widely used as a folk remedy for its presumed sedative-hypnotic effects. DESIGN: A pretest-post-test randomized controlled trial was used. METHODS: A total of 80 Taiwanese postnatal women with poor sleep quality (Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale; PSQS score ≧16) were recruited from November 2012-August 2013. They were systematically assigned, with a random start, to either the experimental group (n = 40) or the control group (n = 40). The participants in the experimental group were instructed to drink chamomile tea for a period of 2 weeks. The participants in the control group received regular postpartum care only. The PSQS, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Postpartum Fatigue Scale were used to assess outcomes. Two-sample t-tests were used to examine the mean differences in outcome variables between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms-related sleep inefficiency (t = -2·482, P = 0·015) and the symptoms of depression (t = -2·372, P = 0·020). However, the scores for all three instruments were similar for both groups at 4-week post-test, suggesting that the positive effects of chamomile tea were limited to the immediate term. CONCLUSION:Chamomile tea may be recommended to postpartum women as a supplementary approach to alleviating depression and sleep quality problems.
RCT Entities:
AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamomile tea on sleep quality, fatigue and depression in postpartum women. BACKGROUND: Sleep quality is a significant issue for postnatal women. Chamomile is widely used as a folk remedy for its presumed sedative-hypnotic effects. DESIGN: A pretest-post-test randomized controlled trial was used. METHODS: A total of 80 Taiwanese postnatal women with poor sleep quality (Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale; PSQS score ≧16) were recruited from November 2012-August 2013. They were systematically assigned, with a random start, to either the experimental group (n = 40) or the control group (n = 40). The participants in the experimental group were instructed to drink chamomile tea for a period of 2 weeks. The participants in the control group received regular postpartum care only. The PSQS, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Postpartum Fatigue Scale were used to assess outcomes. Two-sample t-tests were used to examine the mean differences in outcome variables between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms-related sleep inefficiency (t = -2·482, P = 0·015) and the symptoms of depression (t = -2·372, P = 0·020). However, the scores for all three instruments were similar for both groups at 4-week post-test, suggesting that the positive effects of chamomile tea were limited to the immediate term. CONCLUSION: Chamomile tea may be recommended to postpartum women as a supplementary approach to alleviating depression and sleep quality problems.