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.

This study is designed as a controlled trial involving women in the menopause period, with participants individually randomized using a simple randomization method. The study will be conducted at a family health center affiliated with the Mamak Cultural Center Coordination in Ankara, Turkey.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either the laughter yoga intervention group or the control group at a 1:1 ratio using a computer-generated randomization sequence. Following the pre-test, the intervention group will receive a total of eight laughter yoga sessions over four weeks, twice a week. No intervention will be administered to the control group during the study period.

Menopause symptoms, sleep quality, and menopause-specific quality of life will be assessed using pre-test and post-test measurements. This study aims to determine the effect of laughter yoga on changes experienced during menopause and on sleep and quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 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

Exclusion Criteria:

• 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)

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in publications, including the analyzable data set, will be shared if the study results are published.

Beginning 6 months after publication (if published) and available for up to 5 years upon reasonable request.

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.

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.