Effects of Oropharyngeal Exercises on Patients with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

resultssuggestedthatoropharyngealexercisesderivedfromspeech therapy may be an effective treatment option for patients with moderate OSAS. Objectives: To determine the impact of oropharyngeal exercises in patients with moderate OSAS. Methods:Thirty-onepatientswithmoderateOSASwererandomizedto 3 months of daily (z30 min) sham therapy (n5 15, control) or a set of oropharyngeal exercises (n5 16), consisting of exercises involving the tongue, soft palate, and lateral pharyngeal wall. Measurements and Main Results: Anthropometric measurements, snoringfrequency(range0‐4),intensity(1‐3),Epworthdaytimesleepiness (0‐24) and Pittsburgh sleep quality (0‐21) questionnaires, and full polysomnographywereperformedatbaselineandatstudyconclusion. Bodymassindexandabdominalcircumferenceoftheentiregroupwere 30.3 6 3.4kg/m 2 and101.46 9.0cm,respectively,anddidnotchange significantly over the study period. No significant change occurred in the control group in all variables. In contrast, patients randomized to oropharyngeal exercises had a significant decrease (P , 0.05) in neck circumference(39.663.6vs.38.564.0cm),snoringfrequency(4[4‐4] vs.3[1.5‐3.5]),snoringintensity(3[3‐4]vs.1[1‐2]),daytimesleepiness (1465vs.866),sleepqualityscore(10.263.7vs.6.962.5),andOSAS severity (apnea-hypopnea index, 22.4 6 4.8 vs. 13.7 6 8.5 events/h). Changes in neck circumference correlated inversely with changes in apnea-hypopnea index (r 5 0.59; P , 0.001).