Dietary Supplementation with an Extract of IAloysia citrodora/I Improves Sleep Quality in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Study

• Published in: Nutrients 2024-05, Vol.16 (10)
• Main Authors: Pérez-Piñero, Silvia, Muñoz-Carrillo, Juan Carlos, Echepare-Taberna, Jon, Muñoz-Cámara, Macarena, Herrera-Fernández, Cristina, García-Guillén, Ana I, Ávila-Gandía, Vicente, Navarro, Pau, Caturla, Nuria, Jones, Jonathan, López-Román, Francisco Javier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dietary supplements; Exercise; Sleep disorders
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16101523

Seventy-one healthy subjects with sleep disturbances participated in a randomized, double-blind controlled trial in which dietary supplementation with an extract of Aloysia citrodora (lemon verbena) (n = 33) or placebo (n = 38) was administered for 90 days. There were between-group differences in favor of the experimental group in the visual analogue scale (VAS) for sleep quality (6.5 ± 1.6 vs. 5.5 ± 2.1, p = 0.021) as well as in the overall score (5.8 ± 2.4, p = 0.008) and scores for sleep latency (1.6 ± 1.0 vs. 1.9 ± 0.7, p = 0.027) and sleep efficiency (84.5 ± 12.8 vs. 79.8 ± 13.6, p = 0.023) in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep-related variables (latency, efficiency, wakefulness after sleep onset, awakenings) assessed by actigraphy also showed better scores in the experimental group (p = 0.001). Plasma nocturnal melatonin levels also increased significantly in the experimental group (199.7 ± 135.3 vs. 174.7 ± 115.4 pg/mL, p = 0.048). Changes in anthropometric parameters and physical activity levels were not found. In summary, a dietary supplement of lemon verbena administered for 3 months was associated with a significant improvement in sleep quality as compared with placebo in a population of healthy subjects with sleep problems.