Comprehensive Respiratory Training Exercise Program in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a multi-factorial sleep disorder. Complete collapse or partial collapse in the airway increases the risk of developing cardiovascular and kidney-related disease in OSA patients. Resulting in an increase in medical expenses and workload for the healthcare worker. Multilevel of upper airway muscles especially the genioglossus muscle showed to contribute to airway obstruction as it fatigues easily. The endurance level of OSA patients was shown to be significantly lower. Therefore, the goal of this experimental study is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a comprehensive respiratory training exercise program on cardiorespiratory endurance, airway muscle function, and sleep parameters in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Aside from exploring the therapeutic effect, the results of the study will be used to explore the mechanism of the treatment in relation to the changes in the OSA severity.

Inclusion Criteria:Newly diagnosed with OSA (AHI≥ 5 events per hour)Age between 20 to 65 years oldBMI of 18-30 kg.m-2Exclusion Criteria: Diagnosed with any of the following diseases below:Central or mixed types of sleep apneaNeuromuscular diseaseSevere cardiovascular diseaseActive psychiatric diseaseHead or neck disease or cancerStructural abnormalities over the upper respiratory airwayPerformed any operation or treatment over the neck beforePregnancy