Laughter Therapy for Depression & Sleep

Laughter Therapy for Depression & Sleep

Reference:Ko HJ, Youn CH. Effects of laughter therapy on depression, cognition and sleep among the community-dwelling elderly. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2011 Jul;11(3):267-74.

In this Japanese study, seniors in a community dwelling were divided into two groups;

Group 1: Laughter therapy group (1x week for 4weeks) Group 2: control group (no laughter therapy)

Result: The seniors who participated in only 4 sessions of laughter therapy demonstrated small but significant improvements in depression (Geriatric Depression Scale) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).

Clinical Relevance: Laughter Yoga or regular laughter exercises may be beneficial to some seniors with mild depression and poor sleep quality.

Personal Comment: After looking up “Laughter Yoga” on Youtube, I thought it was quite silly. So I started my own version of a Laughter Yoga class for my own family; it’s actually gone quite well! It is simple, move and playfully laugh for no reason for 30 minutes or so!

Posted on: March 10, 2014