Effect of Laughter Yoga on Menopausal Symptoms, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Menopausal Women

Evaluation of the Effects of Laughter Yoga on Menopausal Symptoms, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Menopausal Women

This study aims to provide meaningful contributions to both academic literature and clinical nursing practice by examining laughter yoga, a non-pharmacological, evidence-based, and feasible intervention for quality of life and sleep problems commonly encountered during menopause. Menopause is a natural stage of life that can be associated with physical and psychological symptoms affecting daily life. Laughter yoga, a group-based complementary method, is based on the philosophy that "movement creates emotion" and aims to transform voluntary laughter into natural and genuine laughter over time. Laughter yoga consists of clapping and warm-up exercises, childlike games, deep breathing techniques, laughter exercises, and meditation stages. Thanks to its physiological and psychological effects, it supports individuals' overall well-being.

In this study, participants will be divided into two groups: an intervention group and a control group. A pre-test will be administered to both groups to assess menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life. The intervention group will undergo eight sessions of laughter yoga, while the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period. A post-test will be administered to both groups after the intervention to evaluate its effectiveness.

The results of the study are expected to contribute to determining whether laughter yoga is an effective supportive approach during menopause. It is particularly important in terms of establishing a scientific basis for the integration of complementary treatment approaches into the menopause period and ensuring that they can be integrated with nursing care.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Menopause
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Laughter Yoga

Detailed Description

This study is designed as a controlled trial involving women in the menopause period, with participants individually randomized using a simple randomization method. The study will be conducted at a family health center affiliated with the Mamak Cultural Center Coordination in Ankara, Turkey.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either the laughter yoga intervention group or the control group at a 1:1 ratio using a computer-generated randomization sequence. Following the pre-test, the intervention group will receive a total of eight laughter yoga sessions over four weeks, twice a week. No intervention will be administered to the control group during the study period.

Menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and menopause-specific quality of life will be assessed using pre-test and post-test measurements. This study aims to determine the effect of laughter yoga on changes experienced during menopause and on sleep and quality of life.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Derya UZUNCA, BSc, RN; Phone Number: +905071720400; Email: deryauzunca673@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Prof. Dr. Gülten Güvenç, PhD; Email: gulten.guvenc@sbu.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Ankara
    • Ankara, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06260
      • Mamak Aile Merkezleri
      • Contact: Derya Uzunca, BSc, RN; Phone Number: 5071720400; Email: deryauzunca673@gmail.com
      • Contact: Prof.Dr. Gülten Güvenç, PhD; Email: gulten.guvenc@sbu.edu.tr
      • Sub-Investigator: Derya UZUNCA, BSc, RN

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being in the menopause period
• Having sufficient proficiency in understanding and expressing oneself in Turkish
• Agreeing to participate in the study
• Having physical and cognitive competence
• Not having a diagnosis of mental disorder
• Not using hormone therapy or complementary treatments for menopause symptoms

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not participating in laughter yoga sessions
• Withdrawing from the study during the research phase
• Incomplete filling out of data collection forms
• Having contraindications for laughter yoga (Bleeding hemorrhoids, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, undergoing surgery within the last 3 months, and similar conditions)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Laughter Yoga Intervention Group; Participants in the experimental group will undergo a pre-test to assess menopause symptoms, sleep, and quality of life. After 8 sessions of laughter yoga over 4 weeks, a post-test will be administered to reassess menopause symptoms, sleep, and quality of life.	Behavioral: Laughter Yoga; The intervention consists of a total of 8 laughter yoga sessions, with 2 sessions per week for four weeks. Each laughter yoga session is planned to last an average of 20 minutes. Each session will begin with clapping and warm-up exercises and continue with childlike games, deep breathing exercises, and laughter exercises. It will end with meditation. It is a group-based practice, and the aim is to increase psychosocial well-being by transforming fake laughter into real laughter and to benefit from the physiological effects of laughter.; Other Names: Laughter Therapy
No Intervention: Control Group; Arm Description: No intervention will be applied to participants in this group during the study period. A pre-test will be administered at the beginning and a post-test will be administered after 4 weeks to assess menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life. After the final test, laughter yoga will be practiced to prevent participant bias.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Menopausal Symptoms	Menopause symptoms will be assessed using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Changes in total MRS scores from baseline to post-intervention will be compared between the intervention group and the control group.	Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Sleep Quality	Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Changes in PSQI scores at baseline and after the 4-week intervention will be compared between groups.	Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention
Change in Menopause-Specific Quality of Life	Quality of life will be assessed using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL). Changes in MENQOL scores at baseline and after the 4-week intervention will be compared between the intervention and control groups.	Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Prof.Dr. Gülten Güvenç, PhD, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 29, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 22, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 2, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of Life; Menopause; Sleep Quality; Women's Health; Laughter Yoga; Menopausal Symptoms; Non-Pharmacological Intervention; Menopausal Women
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Therapeutics; Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Laughter Therapy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-033

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in publications, including the analyzable data set, will be shared if the study results are published.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Beginning 6 months after publication (if published) and available for up to 5 years upon reasonable request.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Access to de-identified individual participant data (IPD), the study protocol, and the statistical analysis plan will be granted to qualified researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal. Requests must be submitted to the corresponding investigator via institutional email. Data will be shared in a de-identified format after approval of the proposal and completion of a data use agreement to ensure protection of participant confidentiality.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No