Exercise: A Novel Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder, affecting approximately 10% of adults. The disorder is a public health threat, as OSA has been linked to cognitive impairment, impaired sleep quality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality. However, despite its harmful impact on numerous health outcomes, successful treatment options for OSA remain elusive. Surgery and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) therapy are the most common treatments, but these options are plagued by dismal success rates and low compliance rates, respectively. Exercise has been considered as a potential supplemental treatment option for OSA, primarily because of its weight loss effects. Surprisingly little investigation into this area has been undertaken, though. Consistent with the CDC Health Protection Goal of "Healthy People in Every Stage of Life," this proposal is designed with the objective of "preventing chronic diseases [i.e., the sequelae of OSA] and their consequences among adults." Specifically, the proposed study will investigate the efficacy of exercise as a complementary or alternative treatment for the treatment of OSA and its consequences. The study will utilize a randomized experimental design to assess the effect of a 8-week resistance and aerobic exercise program on the severity and complications of OSA. Specific Aim 1 is to evaluate the effect of exercise on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the primary measure of OSA severity. Additionally, mediators of the effect of exercise on AHI will be evaluated. Because the effects of OSA on health outcomes are wide- ranging, Specific Aim 2 will evaluate the effect of exercise on a variety of OSA complications, including metabolic function, cognitive performance, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, psychological health, systemic inflammation, and cardiovascular health. The results of this study will provide important and much needed information on whether exercise is an efficacious supplemental or alternative treatment option for individuals with OSA. Obstructive sleep apnea is a prevalent sleep disorder and emerging public health threat, with harmful consequences on cardiovascular health, metabolic functioning, cognition, and psychological health. Exercise has been understudied as a treatment option for attenuating the severity and complications of this disorder, especially since available treatment options are suboptimal. The proposed study will provide the first controlled evidence of the efficacy of exercise for the management of obstructive sleep apnea, and will shed light on whether exercise therapy can be advanced as an alternative or supplemental treatment option.