The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Nurses' Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Burnout Levels

Celal Bayar University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy Participants

Treatments: Behavioral: Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group; Other: control group; Behavioral: Online Laughter Yoga Group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06350747

CelalBayarU-SBF-OT-02

Details and patient eligibility

About

The planned study aims to contribute to the existing literature by comparatively evaluating the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions on nurses, focusing on stress, sleep quality, and burnout. In line with this purpose, the research hypotheses are as follows:

H1. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their perceived stress levels.

H2. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their sleep quality.

H3. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their burnout levels.

H4. There is a significant difference between the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions.

Full description

This study investigated whether laughter yoga can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and prevent burnout among nurses. Nurses often work in challenging conditions with long shifts, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health. In this study, nurses were divided into three groups: one received face-to-face laughter yoga, another participated in laughter yoga online, and the third group did not receive any intervention.

Laughter yoga sessions were conducted twice a week for two weeks and included deep breathing, playful activities, and laughter exercises. Participants completed surveys before and after the sessions to measure their stress levels, sleep quality, and signs of burnout.

The results showed that nurses who participated in the online laughter yoga program experienced better sleep, felt less emotionally exhausted, and had a stronger sense of personal accomplishment. These benefits were not observed in the face-to-face or control groups. Interestingly, the program did not significantly reduce stress levels in any of the groups.

This study suggests that online laughter yoga may be a useful and accessible tool to support the well-being of nurses, especially in healthcare settings where in-person wellness programs are difficult to organize.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• working as a nurse
• over 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No history of abdominal surgery in the last three months
• Not suffering from glaucoma, hernia or epilepsy
• Not receiving psychiatric diagnosis and treatment
• Not receiving sleep-related diagnosis and treatment
• having incontinence

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 3 patient groups

Control Group

Other group

Description:

Participants in this group did not receive any intervention during the study period. They only completed the pre- and post-intervention assessments. After study completion, they were offered a single optional laughter yoga session.

Treatment:

Other: control group

Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group attended four sessions of laughter yoga conducted in person by certified instructors. Sessions lasted approximately 40 minutes and were held twice a week for two weeks in groups of 5-6 nurses.This intervention included hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing, playful games, and laughter exercises. Delivered in-person, each session lasted 30-40 minutes and followed a standardized format developed by Dr. Madan Kataria.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

Online Laughter Yoga Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group received the same laughter yoga intervention as the face-to-face group, but it was delivered online via Zoom. Sessions were held in the evening hours twice a week over two weeks.This intervention followed the same structure as the face-to-face program, including clapping, breathing, and laughter exercises. Sessions were conducted in real time via Zoom by certified laughter yoga instructors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Online Laughter Yoga Group