Chamomile Extract Improves Quality of Sleep in Older Adults

by | May 29, 2018 | 2017, Botanicals, Sleep

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Of the sixty participating elderly Malyasians, those who supplemented with 200 mg of chamomile extract for 28 days experienced significant improvement in sleep duration but not sleep quality.

botanicals Poor sleep quality, a prevalent problem in later life and in older adults, represents one of the most commonly reported health issues 1. Reports show that about 50% of older adults in private homes and about 70% of nursing home residents suffer from a form of sleep disturbance 2. While most elderly manage their sleep issues with the use of hypnotic agents (commonly known as sleeping pills), research indicates that anxiolytic agents and barbiturates can actually lead to about a 50% increased risk for insomnia 3. In addition, long-term use of sleeping pills has been associated not only with side effects, but also drug tolerance and dependence, in the long-run causing symptoms potentially more severe than those initially associated with the sleep disorder itself 4. In the treatment of sleep-related problems, chamomile has traditionally been popular and effective. Chamomile contains a variety of flavonoids, affording the herbal medicine potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties 5 as well as tranquilizing effects 5. Review studies have linked chamomile with improved sleep quality and reduced depression and anxiety 6; however, other studies have failed to detect a significant effect of chamomile on sleep latency and nighttime awakenings 7. Given some of the conflicting findings in the literature, a study 8 published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2017) sought to examine the effects of chamomile on the sleep quality of older adults.

The single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involved a sample of 60 older adults (aged 60 years and older) dwelling in a day care nursing home who presented with sleep disturbance issues. Subjects were randomized to ingest 200 mg of either chamomile extract (concentrate produced from Matricaria recutita) or placebo containing wheat flour twice daily for 28 consecutive days. Participants were administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) to assess sleep quality (e.g., sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbances) at four different time points: prior to intervention, two weeks into intervention, immediately following study completion, and two weeks following study completion.

Analyses revealed that although no statistically significant group differences were observed regarding sleep quality at baseline (both groups showing comparatively poor sleep quality, p = 0.639), following the intervention, the chamomile group demonstrated significantly higher scores than the control group on the subjective sleep quality component of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (p < 0.05); however, chamomile supplementation was not seen to significantly affect the sleep duration component of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory.

Evidence from the study coincides with previous research findings regarding the correlation between chamomile intake and sleep quality in older adults. Of the different components affecting sleep, the therapeutic benefit of chamomile in this study was found to be specific to subjective sleep quality. It would be important to replicate findings using a double-blind study design with a larger sample of older adults to better discern whether the clinical benefits of chamomile also extend to other variables of sleep, such as latency and duration.

Source: Adib-Hajbaghery M, Mousavi SN. The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: a clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2017; 35: 109-114. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.09.010.

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Posted May 29, 2018.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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