EFFECT OF FUNCTIONAL CIRCUIT TRAINING ON EXERCISE-INDUCED SLEEP IMPROVEMENT IN INDIVIDUALS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Jayabharathi. R, Prof. Dr. S. Ramachandran MPT, Prof. Dr. N. Senthil Kumar, G. Mohan Kumar · Genetics and Molecular Research · 2026
Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of upper-airway obstruction, sleep disturbance, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Exercise-based interventions have increasingly been investigated as an adjunctive approach for improving sleep-related outcomes in individuals with OSA. Functional Circuit Training combines aerobic, resistance, functional, and core exercises within a progressive training program and may provide a greater physiological stimulus than conventional physiotherapy. The
Aim: of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Functional Circuit Training on exercise-induced sleep improvement and daytime sleepiness in individuals with mild to moderate OSA.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 60 adults aged 30–60 years diagnosed with mild to moderate OSA. Participants were randomly allocated into Group A (n=30), which received Functional Circuit Training, and Group B (n=30), which received conventional physiotherapy. Both interventions were administered three times per week for 8 weeks, with each session lasting 45–60 minutes. The primary outcome was the Exercise-Induced Sleep Improvement Scale for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (EISIS-OSA), and the secondary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Pre- and post-intervention assessments were performed and analyzed using paired and independent t-tests.
Results: Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in EISIS-OSA and ESS scores (p < 0.0001). EISIS-OSA improved from 41.830 ± 3.927 to 72.780 ± 3.901 in Group A and from 43.123 ± 3.861 to 57.717 ± 3.672 in Group B. ESS decreased from 15.337 ± 1.964 to 8.283 ± 2.536 in Group A and from 15.650 ± 1.603 to 10.540 ± 2.162 in Group B. Between-group analysis demonstrated significantly greater improvement in Group A for both outcomes (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Functional Circuit Training was more effective than conventional physiotherapy in improving exercise-induced sleep outcomes and reducing excessive daytime sleepiness in individuals with mild to moderate OSA.