Exercise and obstructive sleep apnoea: a 24-week follow-up study

OBJECTIVE: Report on long-term follow-up results in the apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) and self-reported daytime sleepiness in participants with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea at 12 weeks after completion of a high-intensity exercise training or control intervention. METHODS: Twenty-six participants with obstructive sleep apnoea (body mass index (BMI) 37 (36–39) kg/m, age 52 (49–55) years, apnoea-hypopnoea index 40.5 (31.3–50.2) events/hour), randomised to either 12 weeks of supervised high-intensity interval training (HIIT) (4×4 min of treadmill running or walking at 90%–95% of maximal heart rate) or no intervention (control), underwent a sleep evaluation follow-up 24 weeks after intervention initiation. Respiratory measures during sleep were registered at baseline, 12 weeks (postintervention) and 24 weeks (long-term follow-up). RESULTS: At the 24-week follow-up, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the AHI (HIIT 30.7 (17.2–44.1) and control 38.7 (22.8–54.5) events/hour), Epworth score (HIIT 7.0 (4.7–9.3) and control 5.5 (3.9–7.0)), mean oxygen saturation (HIIT 93.2 (92.5–93.9) and control 92.0 (91.1–92.8)) or oxygen desaturation events (HIIT 32.9 (20.4–45.4) and control 44.3 (27.3–61.3) n/hour). BMI remained unchanged from the baseline in both groups. In the HIIT group, only two participants reported having continued with HIIT at 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: The effect of 12 weeks of supervised high-intensity exercise training on AHI and self-reported daytime sleepiness was lost at the 24-week follow-up.