INTRODUCTION

Sleep is one of the basic human needs that is necessary to maintain energy and physical and mental health (Garcia et al., 2016). Sleep disorders are especially common in students due to stress related to studies, dormitory life, and changes in sleep patterns (Hartmann and Prichard, 2018, Hagedorn et al., 2021, Sepehrmanesh et al., 2023).

More than 30% of people suffer from sleep disorders, and this condition can negatively affect mental and physical health (Berman et al., 2018).

As a medicinal herb with sedative properties, Salvia officinalis may help improve sleep quality. This herb has compounds that can have sedative and calming effects on the central nervous system (Moradi et al., 2023, Horváthová et al., 2016, Alanazi et al., 2023). Considering the importance of sleep in academic progress, a study was designed to investigate the effect of Salvia officinalis tea on controlling sleep disorders in medical students of the Iranshahr University of Medical Science, Iran.

The present research aimed to present the results to doctors and the general public.

METHODS

This research was a double-blind randomized clinical trial on 128 students living in the dormitory of Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iran, conducted in October, November, and December 2022.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Salvia officinalis tea on the sleep quality of students with sleep disorders. The students were identified based on their sleep quality and divided into two groups of 64 (test and control groups). Data collection tools included the demographic information questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire, which were employed to evaluate the sleep quality of the students.

The test group received a daily tea bag containing Salvia officinalis, while the control group received a placebo tea containing brown sugar for one month. At the end of the study, the sleep quality questionnaire was completed again by the participants. The results of the study were analyzed using SPSS (version 20), employing t-tests, Wilcoxon test, and chi-square test.

RESULTS

A total of 57% of the participants were female, and 43% were men. The average age in the test group was 21.21±2.41 years, while in the control group it was 21.43±3.44 years. The Mann-Whitney statistical test did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the average overall sleep quality scores of the test and control groups before the intervention (P>0.05). However, after the intervention, this difference became significant (P<0.05). The Wilcoxon statistical test indicated a statistically significant difference between the average sleep quality scores in the test and control groups before and after the intervention (P<0.05). The Mann-Whitney test showed that all components of sleep quality, except for morning performance, improved in the test group compared to the control group after the intervention (P<0.05). This study investigated the effect of Salvia officinalis tea on the sleep quality of medical students, revealing that 89% of the students experienced poor sleep quality.

In this study, the effect of Salvia officinalis tea on the sleep quality of medical students was investigated. The results of the study indicated that 89% of the students had poor sleep quality, which is in line with the reported results by Shamsi Khani et al. (Shamsikhani, 2014). Sleep disorders among students in non-Iranian studies have been reported to range from 19% to 57%, while some Iranian studies indicate a prevalence between 13.5% and 86.5% (Hagedorn et al., 2021, Shamsikhani, 2014, Kosendiak et al., 2024, Moudi et al., 2014).

The results of the present investigation emphasize that Salvia officinalis tea can be used as an effective method to improve the sleep quality of students. One of the limitations of this study is the lack of similar studies on the effect of Salvia officinalis tea on sleep quality. In addition, other influential factors, such as underlying diseases, stress, environmental noise, diet, and light, as well as the lack of examination of the background of sleep disorders and food consumed before sleep in students, are also among the limitations.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines

The present study was approved by the ethics committee of Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iran, with the reference number IR.IRSHUMS.REC.
1400.012. We also declare that the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, including the informed consent of the participants and the confidentiality of their information, have been observed.

Funding

This research is the result of a research project that was carried out with the financial support of the Honorable Research Vice-Chancellor of Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Authors’ Contributions

The authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to the esteemed research assistant of the university, the students, and all the dear ones who helped us carry out this project.