Effects of using essential oils on the mental and physical health of individuals who work from home

Abstract

With the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the number of people working from home (WFH) had rapidly increased. To investigate the possibility of using essential oils as a mental and physical self-care method for individuals who WFH, we examined the effects of using essential oils on the mood, sleep quality, cognitive function, and work performance of these individuals. Twenty women and ten men who WFH (age: 25–49 years) participated in the present study. The participants used either rosemary or sweet orange during the daytime and either lavender or bergamot during the night, according to their preferences. The participants who inhaled essential oils 3 days a week or more for 4 weeks had significantly improved work performance, as assessed by using the Single-Item Presenteeism Question, as compared to the control group (p<0.05). Additionally, 10 minutes after smelling the essential oil selected according to their preferences, the vitality and stability levels and the degree of pleasure, determined by TDMS-ST, were significantly increased (p<0.05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that using essential oils could be a simple and useful method for improving mood and work performance of individuals who WFH.