Effect of massage with different aromatherapy oils on fatigue and sleep quality

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the effect of massage with different aromatherapy oils on fatigue and sleep quality. Material and Method: The universe of the study consists of active athletes in the field of athletics living in Malatya. The sample group of the study consists of 24 male athletes who are active in athletics between the ages of 18-25. The athletes participating in the study were randomly divided into 2 equal groups as experimental group and control group. In the study, 3 different massage protocols were applied and a 15-day rest interval was given between each protocol. In the massage protocol, the experimental group athletes were massaged with apricot, lavender and St. John's wort oil before the 24th, 48th and 72nd hours of blood draw after exercise. In the research, Fitbit Charge 3 smart wristband device was used to determine sleep quality as data collection tools. Blood samples were taken at 6 different times to determine muscle damage. CK, IL-6, TNF-α and LDH blood parameters were analyzed from the samples taken. Results: In the study, a statistically significant difference was found between the means of CK, LDH, IL-6 and TNF-α of the participants in the experimental and control groups at different times after exercise (p <0.05). It was determined that the REM and deep sleep times of the experimental group participants increased but the duration of staying awake and light sleep decreased compared to the control group participants. Conclusion: As a result of the research, it was determined that apricot, lavender and St.John's wort oils can be used in massage applications in order to accelerate the recovery process after exercise and increase the quality of sleep in athletes. In addition, it was found out that lavender oil was more effective than apricot and St.John's wort oil in order to accelerate the recovery process after exercise and increase sleep quality. Keywords: Massage, Aromatherapy, Fatigue, Sleep.