Abstract
Objective:To determine the effectiveness of aromatherapy and music therapy on sleep quality and emotional well-being in older adults attending the Amaguaña Parish Council, Ecuador.
Materials and Methods: A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study with an experimental and a control group was conducted. The study population consisted of 63 older adults, of whom 40 met the inclusion criteria and were allocated to a control group (n=20) and an experimental group (n=20). Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while emotional well-being was evaluated using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The experimental group participated in a music therapy and aromatherapy program using aromatic incense sticks between July and December 2025.
Results: No significant baseline differences were found between groups (p>0.05). After the intervention, good sleep quality increased from 30.0% to 70.0% (p=0.003; r=0.67), whereas participants without depressive symptoms increased from 20.0% to 55.0% (p=0.030; r=0.49).
Conclusions: The combined use of aromatherapy and music therapy was associated with significant improvements in sleep quality and emotional well-being, representing an accessible and feasible complementary intervention for community-based care of older adults.
References
Organización Mundial de la Salud. Decade of Healthy Ageing: Baseline report [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [citado 2026 Jun 24]. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017900
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. Estadísticas de población adulta mayor en Ecuador [Internet]. Quito: INEC; 2022 [citado 2026 Jun 24]. Disponible en: https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec
Touitou Y. Human aging and melatonin: Clinical relevance and circadian rhythm disturbances. Sleep Med Rev. 2022;61:101565. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101565
Pace-Schott EF, Spencer RMC. Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment. Curr Sleep Med Rep. 2022;8:1-12. doi:10.1007/s40675-022-00226-8
Aiello A, Farzaneh F, Candore G, Caruso C, Davinelli S, Gambino CM, et al. Immunosenescence and its hallmarks: How to oppose aging strategically? Aging Res Rev. 2022;74:101528. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2021.101528
Fjell AM, Sneve MH, Storsve AB, Walhovd KB. Brain aging and cognitive decline: A lifespan perspective. Annu Rev Psychol. 2021;72:507-34. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050844
Irwin MR. Sleep and inflammation: Partners in sickness and in health. Nat Rev Immunol. 2023;23(6):340-52.
doi:10.1038/s41577-022-00788-1
Malhotra A, Ayappa I, Ayas N, Collop N, Kirsch D, McCall C, et al. Metrics of sleep apnea severity: Beyond the apnea-hypopnea index. Sleep. 2021;44(7). doi:10.1093/sleep/zsab030
Organización Mundial de la Salud. Mental health of older adults [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2023 [citado 2026 Jun 24]. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults
Lucchetta RC, da Mata BPC, Mastroianni PC. Association between benzodiazepine use and dementia: A meta-analysis. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2022;37(3):1-12. doi:10.1002/gps.5671
Treves N, Perlman A, Kolenberg Geron L, Asaly A, Matok I, Muszkat M, et al. Z-drugs and risk for falls and fractures in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drugs Aging. 2022;39(2):153-63. doi:10.1007/s40266-021-00905-5
Riemann D, Baglioni C, Bassetti C, Bjorvatn B, Groselj LD, Ellis JG, et al. European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia. J Sleep Res. 2023;32(1). doi:10.1111/jsr.13744
Fung D, Tsang HWH, Chan F. Neurobiological mechanisms of aromatherapy in anxiety and depression: A review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2021;43:101336. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101336
Wang Z, Zhao M, Chen T, et al. Effect of aromatherapy on sleep quality of adults and elderly people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med. 2020;51:102407. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102407
Li S, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Wang X. Effects of aromatherapy on sleep quality in older adults: A meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med. 2024;75:102939. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102939
Dynes MVP, Ramesh P, McPhillips MV, Hodgson NA. Effects of music interventions on sleep in older adults: A systematic review. Geriatr Nurs. 2021;42(4):869-79. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.04.014
Bradt J, Dileo C, Potvin N. Efficacy of music therapy as a non-pharmacological measure to support Alzheimer’s disease patients: A systematic review. BMC Geriatr. 2025;25:508. doi:10.1186/s12877-025-06073-7
Bradt J, Dileo C, Shim M. Music interventions for preoperative anxiety. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(6). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006908.pub2
Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, Bruyère O, Cederholm T, et al. Sarcopenia: Revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2020;49(1):16-31. doi:10.1093/ageing/afz046
Uchmanowicz I, Lisiak M, Wleklik M, Gurowiec PJ, Kałużna-Oleksy M. Arterial stiffness and cardiovascular aging: Current evidence and clinical implications. Eur Heart J Suppl. 2021;23(Suppl E). doi:10.1093/eurheartj/suab047
Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989;28(2):193-213. doi:10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4
Yesavage JA, Brink TL, Rose TL, Lum O, Huang V, Adey M, et al. Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: A preliminary report. J Psychiatr Res. 1983;17(1):37-49. doi:10.1016/0022-3956(82)90033-4
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cynthia Mishell Bonilla Arotingo