Oropharyngeal Exercises on Snoring, Daytime Sleepiness and Anthropometric Measurement Among Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. Untreated OSA is associated with potential long-term adverse health consequences. Oropharyngeal exercise is one of the treatment modalities to manage the symptoms of OSA. Hence, the current study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of oropharyngeal exercises on snoring, daytime sleepiness, and the selected anthropometric measurement among adults with obstructive sleep apnea. Methods: Quasi-experimental research design was adopted to conduct the study with 60 samples that met the inclusion criteria at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. Samples were selected by convenience sampling technique and were assigned to the experimental group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Samples were determined using the Berlin questionnaire, and the pre-test assessment was done by using the snoring sleepiness scale (SSS), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), and anthropometric measurements for both groups. The experimental group received the oropharyngeal exercise twice daily for 15 days. The control group received the day-to-day practices. The post-test assessment was done using the same tool at the end of 15 days for both groups. Results: There was a statistically significant change in snoring, daytime sleepiness, BMI, and neck and waist circumference between pre and post-intervention within the experimental group and post-intervention between the experimental and control group at the level of P