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

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.

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).

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.

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.