According to a literature-based study published in Biomed Central Complementary Medicine and Therapies, aromatherapy can be beneficial to promote quality sleep in cancer patients.
Aromatherapy uses concentrated essential oils extracted from herbs, flowers and other plant parts to interact with the olfactory system, which affects the connection between body and mind, and thereby improve the physical condition.
The meta analysis of randomized controlled trials included 933 patients diagnosed with breast, liver, colorectal, gastric cancer and leukemia. These patient met the diagnostic criteria for sleep disorders. The essential oils studied include lavender, peppermint, rose, chamomile, lavender and orange, tea tree oil, compound essential oils, etc.
Aromatherapy with individual essential oils had a better effect on sleep quality, with lavender essential oil being the most effective, but combined essential oils were ineffective at improving sleep quality in cancer patients. Some studies reported the occurrence of adverse events, such as headache and sneezing.
Thus, single essential oil aromatherapy (such as lavender) can improve sleep quality of cancer patients, including those with breast cancer.
Source: Cheng H, Lin L, Wang S, Zhang Y, Liu T, Yuan Y, Chen Q, Tian L. Aromatherapy with single essential oils can significantly improve the sleep quality of cancer patients: a meta-analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Jul 14;22(1):187. Source Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9284915/