Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants

Tiffany Field; Tory Field; Christy Cullen; Shay Largie; Miguel Diego; Saul Schanberg; Cynthia Kuhn

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008

Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants

Tiffany Field, Tory Field, Christy Cullen, Shay Largie, Miguel Diego, Saul Schanberg, Cynthia Kuhn

Pediatrics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

Abstract: Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	399-401
Number of pages	3
Journal	Early Human Development
Volume	84
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008
State	Published - Jun 2008

Keywords

Cortisol
Lavender

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

Access to Document

10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008

Cite this

@article{780150cc06974725906ac3ed83b63cdc,

title = "Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants",

abstract = "Abstract: Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.",

keywords = "Cortisol, Lavender",

author = "Tiffany Field and Tory Field and Christy Cullen and Shay Largie and Miguel Diego and Saul Schanberg and Cynthia Kuhn",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank the mothers and infants who participated in this study. This research was supported by an NIMH Merit Award (#MH46586) and NIH Senior Research Scientist Awards (MH#00331 and AT# 01585) to Tiffany Field and funding from Johnson and Johnson to the Touch Research Institute.",

year = "2008",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "84",

pages = "399--401",

journal = "Screening",

issn = "0378-3782",

publisher = "Elsevier Ireland Ltd",

number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants

AU - Field, Tiffany

AU - Field, Tory

AU - Cullen, Christy

AU - Largie, Shay

AU - Diego, Miguel

AU - Schanberg, Saul

AU - Kuhn, Cynthia

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank the mothers and infants who participated in this study. This research was supported by an NIMH Merit Award (#MH46586) and NIH Senior Research Scientist Awards (MH#00331 and AT# 01585) to Tiffany Field and funding from Johnson and Johnson to the Touch Research Institute.

PY - 2008/6

Y1 - 2008/6

N2 - Abstract: Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.

AB - Abstract: Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.

KW - Cortisol

KW - Lavender

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=43449135598&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=43449135598&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008

DO - 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.10.008

M3 - Article

C2 - 18053656

AN - SCOPUS:43449135598

VL - 84

SP - 399

EP - 401

JO - Screening

JF - Screening

SN - 0378-3782

IS - 6

ER -

Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this