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

NCT07435545 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2025-033
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Menopause

Keywords

Laughter Yoga; Menopause; Menopausal Symptoms; Sleep Quality; Quality of Life; Non-Pharmacological Intervention; Women's Health; Menopausal Women

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 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 Outcomes (2)

• Change in Sleep Quality

  Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention

• Change in Menopause-Specific Quality of Life

  Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention

Study Arms (2)

Laughter Yoga Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

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

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

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.

Interventions

Laughter Yoga BEHAVIORAL

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.

Also known as: Laughter Therapy

Laughter Yoga Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Mamak Aile Merkezleri

Ankara, Ankara, 06260, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Interventions

Laughter Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Prof.Dr. Gülten Güvenç, PhD

  Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Derya UZUNCA, BSc, RN

CONTACT

+905071720400; deryauzunca673@gmail.com

Prof. Dr. Gülten Güvenç, PhD

CONTACT

gulten.guvenc@sbu.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants will not know which group they belong to. Laughter yoga will be administered to the experimental group on the day of the final test. By having both groups receive laughter yoga, participants will be prevented from knowing which group they belong to, thereby reducing the possibility of bias.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Master's Student

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group and the control group. A pre-test will be conducted to assess menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life. While the intervention group will receive eight sessions of laughter yoga, the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period. A final test will be conducted in both groups to assess changes in menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life. After the final assessments are completed, the control group will also receive the laughter yoga intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2026
• First Posted: February 27, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 29, 2026
• Study Completion: March 29, 2026
• Last Updated: March 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: Beginning 6 months after publication (if published) and available for up to 5 years upon reasonable request.
• 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.

Locations

TU (1)