Effect of peppermint and lavender aromatherapy on cortisol

The hospital is a multidisciplinary setting where nursing professionals work exhausting hours, which can negatively impact their physical and emotional health. Aromatherapy is one of the most widely used resources for stress reduction, where essential oils are applied to a specific area, creating sensations of well-being in the body, mind, and emotions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint and lavender on cortisol release. To this end, a primary, interventional, clinical, longitudinal, prospective, quantitative, and analytical study was conducted. The sample consisted of 36 employees of both sexes, aged between 20 and 60 years, randomly divided into groups of 12 individuals each. The results indicated that, when analyzing the variables of the sample characteristics, the use of diuretics in the control group showed a significant difference (0.028); in the analysis of the association of the Physical Activity Level (PAL) variable with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) questionnaire, there was no significant difference between the groups, as well as in the analysis of the comparison of the sample characteristics in relation to the groups. However, in the analysis of the comparison between the difference in mean cortisol levels at the beginning and after 15 days, a significant difference was found (0.042). We can conclude that the use of peppermint oil aromatherapy reduced cortisol release in individuals when compared to the control group and the group subjected to lavender, after 15 days of use.