Role of raw onion juice therapy in improving sleep, quality of life and alleviating fatigue among older adults: A triple blinded randomized placebo controlled trial

Background

Insomnia is associated with long-term morbidity for the patient’s health and well-being. This study was intended to determine if raw onion juice therapy, an anecdotal home-remedy, is effective in improving sleep, reducing fatigue, and improving quality of life (QoL) when used along with yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle interventions (YNBL).

Materials and methods

Fifty-eight patients were randomized into two groups: the onion juice group (10 ml onion juice) or the placebo group (10 ml rice water) for 10 days along with the YNBL intervention. The Epworth sleepiness scale, insomnia severity index, total sleep time, sleep latency onset, fatigue severity scale, and SF-12 QoL were assessed at baseline and at the end of the 10th day. All the participants, investigators, and statisticians were blinded to the participants’ group assignments.

Results

The raw onion juice group reported a significant reduction in daytime sleepiness (z = −2.839, p = 0.005), insomnia severity (z = −2.493, p = 0.013) and a significant improvement in total sleep time (z = −3.388, p = 0.001), when compared to the placebo group receiving rice water. Similarly, we observed a significant improvement in the quality of life domains (i) physical component summary (PCS) t(54) = 5.345, p = 0.000, and (ii) mental component summary (MCS) t(54) = 3.579, p = 0.001 in the experimental group compared to placebo.

Conclusion

Raw onion juice therapy is safe and effective in the management of insomnia as it improves sleep-related parameters, reduces fatigue, and enhances QoL. Future studies with longer follow-up periods and a larger sample size are warranted to substantiate the present findings.