The impact of sleep hygiene education and lavender essential oil inhalation on the sleep quality and overall well-being of athletes who undergo late-evening training: a randomized controlled trial  

Background Sleep hygiene education (SHE) and lavender essential oil (LEO) inhalation are two effective strategies aimed at enhancing sleep quality and mood states. This study investigated the effects of a single SHE session combined with nightly LEO inhalation for 7 days of late-evening resistance training sessions on sleep quality and mood states in trained athletes. Methods Forty-two athletes were randomly assigned to four groups: a control group (CG), a SHE group (SHEG), a LEO group (LEOG), and a SHE + LEO group (CSLG). CG and LEOG maintained their sleep habits during the intervention, while SHEG and CSLG followed SHE recommendations. Additionally, LEOG and CSLG inhaled LEO nightly before sleep. Sleep patterns were recorded via actigraphy. The Brunel Mood Scale and the Hooper questionnaires were completed before and after the intervention. Results Sleep latency was lower in SHEG (p=0.001) and CSLG (p=0.012) compared to the CG. The subjective sleep score improved in SHEG, LEOG, and CSLG (p < 0.001), with greater improvement observed in SHEG (p = 0.002) and CSLG (p < 0.001) compared to CG at post-intervention. Additionally, significant improvements were observed in the Hooper index in the SHEG (p=0.048) and CSLG (p=0.027), with CSLG demonstrating higher scores compared to CG at the post-intervention assessment (p=0.026). Furthermore, the subjective fatigue score significantly decreased in the CSLG (p=0.009). Conclusions Combining SHE and LEO inhalation could be an effective strategy to enhance sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, and overall wellness, and reduce feelings of fatigue in trained athletes following late-evening resistance training sessions.