Revista de trastornos del sueño: tratamiento y cuidados

Sleep Duration is increased but not Physical Activity in Somnolent Moderate to Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Treated by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

M Bruyneel, C Sanida, S Van den Broecke, C Doyen, S De Weerdt, S Bokwala, L Ameye and V Ninane

Background and objective: Obstructive Sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is associated with poor sleep, a decreased quality of life (QoL) and low physical activity (PA). With treatment, sleep quality is improved and one may then expect a reduction in daytime sleepiness and an increase in sleep duration, PA and QoL. The present study was aimed to assess changes in sleep duration in somnolent obese moderate to severe OSA patients before and after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). As secondary aims, changes in PA, QoL and daytime sleepiness before and after treatment with CPAP were also assessed, together with the proportion of sleep time spent with CPAP after 3 months of treatment.
Methods: In this prospective multicentric study, 150 moderate to severe somnolent OSA patients were evaluated using actigraphy, QoL questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale before and 3 months after CPAP initiation.
Results: Baseline short sleep time was associated with OSA severity (p<0.001). CPAP treatment increased time spent sleeping: 362 ± 105 to 389 ± 90 Daytime sleepiness and quality of life improved by treatment, but PA did not increase. A larger proportion of the night spent with CPAP was associated with less daytime sleepiness and with a better QoL.
Conclusions: Mean 5 day sleep duration, assessed by actigraphy, is increased by CPAP treatment in somnolent OSA patients. However, despite longer sleep, physical activity is not improved in contrast with a decrease in daytime sleepiness and an improvement in the quality of life. The reduction of both daytime sleepiness and the improvement in the quality of life increased in parallel with the proportion of night spent with CPAP.