The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Vasomotor Symptoms and Sleep Quality in Menopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

This experimental study aimed to determine the effects of online laughter yoga on the sleep quality and vasomotor symptoms (VMS) of menopausal women through a prospective, randomized controlled trial. About 36 women who attend the Menopause School were randomized into either the laughter yoga (n = 18) or the control group (n = 18). The laughter yoga group participated in eight online laughter yoga sessions, with two sessions per week for four weeks, whereas the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The laughter yoga group had significantly lower posttest VAS scores compared with the control group in all VMS ( P < .05). Furthermore, the posttest PSQI score of the laughter yoga group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P < .05). Although there was no significant difference in the pretest and posttest scores obtained by the control group from the VAS and PSQI ( P > .05), the intervention group exhibited a statistically significant difference in their pretest and posttest VAS and PSQI scores ( P < .05; P < .001, respectively). The results indicate that laughter yoga is an effective method for reducing VMS and improving sleep quality.