Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder commonly associated with significant non-motor symptoms, including anxiety and sleep disturbances, which substantially impair quality of life. Aim: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of laughter yoga exercises on anxiety levels and sleep quality among patients with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: A pre-test post-test experimental design was employed. Ten male patients aged 50–70 years with Hoehn and Yahr stages 1–3 were selected and divided into experimental and control groups (n=5 each). The experimental group participated in 45-minute laughter yoga sessions (warm-up, laughter exercises, meditation, and relaxation) over 18 weeks (approximately 6 months). Anxiety was measured using the Parkinson’s Anxiety Scale (PAS) and sleep quality using the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2) before and after the intervention. Results: In the experimental group, there was a statistically significant improvement in anxiety scores (pre-test mean = 32.5, post-test mean = 40.5; t = 8.45, p < 0.05) and sleep quality (pre-test mean = 45.7, post-test mean = 33.2; t = 9.67, p < 0.05). The control group showed only minimal improvement in anxiety (pre 34.1 to post 31.1) and a slight worsening in sleep scores (47.4 to 50.9). Conclusion: Laughter yoga is a promising, safe, low-cost, and enjoyable complementary intervention that appears to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease. These preliminary findings support its potential as an adjunct therapy in the holistic management of PD and warrant larger randomized controlled trials.

• 1.   Memarian, A., et al. (2017). The effect of laughter yoga… Biomedical Research and Therapy.
• 2.   Doran, A.C. (2016). Laughter yoga… Biomedical research and therapy.
• 3.   Memarian, A., et al. (2017). The effect of laughter yoga… Biomedical Research and Therapy.
• 4.   Doran, A.C. (2016). Laughter yoga… Biomedical Research and Therapy.
• 5.   Keykhai Hosseinpour, A. (2013). Effects of eight weeks laughter yoga… Journal of Research in Rehabilitation Sciences. 4–30. (Full list as per original document, including Bennett et al., Kataria, etc., formatted in Vancouver or APA style as required by target journal.) Abargouei Azizi S. Effects of aquatic exercise therapy on quality of life, muscle strength and balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (Master’s thesis) 2011.
• 6.   Abedzadeh M. The effect of balance training on depression and quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease. In Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (Isfahan University) 2012.
• 7.   Afshar M., Ghandehari K. Tremor in the right hand as the most common initial manifestation of Parkinson disease. Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences 2006; 13: 9-15.
• 8.   Badr Z. The effect of laughter therapy on general health and stress among nurses working in Yasuj hospitals. In Faculty of Humanities, Department of Psychology (Yasuj Branch: Islamic Azad University) 2014.
• 9.   Bagheri R. The study of the effect of laughter therapy on group cataract on the reduction of occupational stress among female teachers of elementary school in District 13 of Tehran. In Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology (Allameh Tabatabaei University) 2011.
• 10.   Behzadi A. The Effect of Kataria Laughter on Increased General Health in the Elderly Man in Shahid Hasheminejad Hospital. (Reyhaneh Charity and Charity Foundation) (Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology: Allameh Tabatabaei University) 2010.
• 11.   Bellew J.W., Yates J.W., Gater D.R.. The initial effects of low-volume strength training on balance in untrained older men and women. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 2003; 17: 121-128.
• 12.   Bennett M.P., Zeller J.M., Rosenberg L., McCann J. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity. Alternative therapies in health and medicine 2003; 9: 38.
• 13.   Covassin N., Neikrug A.B., Liu L., CoreyBloom J., Loredo J.S., Palmer B.W., Maglione J., Ancoli-Israel S.. Clinical correlates of periodic limb movements in sleep in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of the neurological sciences 2012; 316: 131-136.
• 14.   Dibble L.E., Hale T.F., Marcus R.L., Droge J., Gerber J.P., LaStayo P.C. High-intensity resistance training amplifies muscle hypertrophy and functional gains in persons with Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders 2006; 21: 1444-1452.
• 15.   Eftekhari S. Comparison of the effectiveness of two methods of therapeutic play and laughter therapy on anxiety in children ages 6-12. In Islamic Azad University (Shahrood Branch: Faculty of Literature and Humanities) 2004; :
• 16.   Emsaki G. The cognitive functions of patients with Parkinson’s disease compared with healthy subjects and the study of the effect of two drugs primaxyxol and thrigesifenidil on it. Iran: Isfahan University 2010.

Data Sharing Statement

Funding