Effects of a 24-week Aquatic Exercise Training Program on Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity in Elderly Women

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which comprises repeated episodes of total cessation of upper airway flow during sleep, is an underdiagnosed diasease and is closely related to major physiological desadjustments that compromises the systemic health of the human organism, including triggering death events; It is not surprising, therefore, that the prevalence of OSAS in adults and elderly varies widely.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the instrument used as first-line treatment for OSAS because it has significant responses in attenuating the severity of the syndrome, however, the design and logistical operation of the use of this instrument compromise the adherence to OSAS treatment .

In this sense, strategies such as regular exercise practice have promising initial results for the treatment of OSAS, despite the gaps that still exist due to the scarcity of studies completed in this area. To this end, it should be noted that studies evaluating the effects of exercise on the severity of OSAS deal mostly with adults / middle-aged adults in aerobic and / or resistance exercise practices performed in a terrestrial environment with alternation only of the ergometer used. Studies on physical exercise and OSAS in the elderly present marked scarcity and only one randomized clinical trial administered to elderly men was found.

The prescription of physical exercise for the elderly requires some precautions and precautions arising from the maladjustments that senescence promotes and that compromise the functionality of organic systems. These misfits include, among other things, the attenuation of lean mass with consequent reduction in muscle strength and dynamic balance; Such damages trigger, in the elderly, fall events that, linked to the reduction of bone mineral density due to aging, not infrequently lead to the physical and functional disability of the elderly.

Physical exercise performed in the aquatic environment, therefore, emerges as a safe and effective alternative in promoting physical and functional improvements for various populations due to the physical principles of water that promote buoyancy, reduction of joint stress, subjective perception of pain and exercise fatigue.