Many women sleep poorly during the menopausal transition. Some prefer not to take hormone therapy or sleeping tablets, and ask their nurses about other options. This study tested a traditional Chinese medicine aromatic sachet containing ten herbs, chosen by a panel of experts. Women placed the sachet beside their pillow each night for nine weeks and removed it each morning.
One hundred and twenty-two women aged 45 to 59 who reported poor sleep and were recruited in Macao took part. Half received the herbal sachet and half received a placebo sachet, which was identical in appearance, weight and packaging and carried a herbal scent, but did not contain the herbs being tested. Participants were not told which sachet they had been given. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at the start of the study and again after 3, 6 and 9 weeks.