Sleep disorders and eating disorders. Relaxation with laughter therapy. A pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: patients with eating disorders present difficulties in several areas of their lives, including sleep. Insomnia has consequences such as daytime sleepiness, a poorer physical appearance, lower performance and worsening mood. Laughter therapy is a relaxation technique that improves the physical and psychological state through laughter. Method: an analytical methodological research study of a retrospective longitudinal nature. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire was used and the level of anxiety was measured before and after the laughter therapy technique using the Abu-Saad visual analogue scale. Results and discussion: sleep-onset insomnia, 83.3%; sleep-maintenance insomnia, 66.6%, and the presence of nightmares, 66.6%, which together lead to a subjective feeling of poor sleep quality in 83.3%. Sleep problems improve with the practice of laughter therapy.