0503 EXERCISE PRACTICE IS INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVED SLEEP QUALITY, BUT NOT SLEEPINESS IN SEVERE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA PATIENTS

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients may be asymptomatic. Regular exercise improves the sense of well-being and may alleviate OSA symptoms. In the present study we investigated in severe OSA patients whether exercise is associated with better sleep quality and milder symptoms. Subjects answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and were then classified as exercisers or non-exercisers. Additional questionnaires about sleep-related symptoms were applied before undergoing full-night polysomnography. Only subjects with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)>30 events/hour were included. Sleepiness was assessed by the Epworth scale, tiredness by one question of the STOP questionnaire, sleep misperception by the question: “Do you wake-up feeling like you had not slept?”, and “Rate from 0 to 10 the quality of your sleep.”; scores <5 indicated poor sleep. We included 488 exercisers (35%) and 907 non-exercisers, 81% men. The mean (±SD) age was 49 ± 14 years, body mass index, 33 ± 6.9kg/m2, and AHI, 53 ± 20 events/hour. Exercisers and non-exercisers were significantly different in terms of anthropometric, polysomnographic, and perceived-sleep variables. Exercisers had lower AHI (48 ± 17 vs. 56 ± 21 events/hour), snoring score, time with saturation below 90% (36 ± 43 vs. 50 ± 52 minutes), and higher minimum saturation (77 ± 9 vs. 75 ± 10%; P<0.001 for all comparisons). Exercisers had also lower tiredness, poor sleep, and sleep misperception. The Epworth sleepiness scale score was also lower in exercisers (P=0.002) but did not resist adjustment for confounders. Exercise practice was associated with ~30% lower odds ratio for tiredness, poor sleep, and sleep misperception after full adjustment. About one third of severe OSA cases perform programed exercise contrary to the expectation of generalized sedentarism in this population. Exercise is independently associated with better perceived sleep quality and less tiredness. This finding should be taken in consideration when employing symptom-based scores to assess OSA risk in exercisers since they are more likely to be asymptomatic. Nothing to declare.