Effects of aromatherapy and music therapy interventions on blood pressure, pulse, and levels of stress and fatigue in nursing staff: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background & Objective: Current research on aromatherapy and music therapy mainly focuses on patients, lacking demographic diversity. This study evaluates the physiological and psychological effects of these therapies on nursing staff. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI were searched for eligible RCTs published before September 2025. Outcomes included stress, fatigue, blood pressure, and heart rate. Results: Eight RCTs involving 1,382 nursing staff were included. Aromatherapy and/or music therapy did not significantly reduce stress and fatigue levels (MD: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.47–0.56; p = 0.6855). However, they effectively reduced systolic blood pressure (MD: -3.04 mmHg; 95% CI: -4.87 to -1.22; p = 0.0494), diastolic blood pressure (MD: -2.67 mmHg; 95% CI: -3.91 to -1.43; p = 0.0147), and pulse rate (MD: -2.34; 95% CI: -4.02 to -0.67; p = 0.0021). Conclusion: Compared to control conditions, aromatherapy and/or music therapy can effectively alleviate autonomic nervous system tension in nursing staff, but their subjective stress and fatigue did not show significant improvement.