Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40329037›Full record

SynthesisEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2026

Effectiveness of aerobic exercise training in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mrudula Pawar, Prem Venkatesan, Satyanarayana Mysore, Guruprasad Bhat

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Sleep and obesity-known interactions and open questions.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Exploring Exercise Interventions for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Scoping Review.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mrudula PawarDepartment of Physiotherapy, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Prem VenkatesanDepartment of Physiotherapy, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. prem.v@manipal.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6753-1154
Satyanarayana MysoreDepartment of Pulmonology, Manipal Hospital, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560017, India.
Guruprasad BhatDepartment of Pulmonology, Manipal Hospital, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560017, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeObstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep-related disorder, reports significant clinical consequences, apart from its socioeconomic burden globally. Among the physiotherapeutic treatment options, exercise training is primarily preferred for these patients. In the current systematic review and meta-analysis, we hypothesize that aerobic exercise training could be beneficial in reducing the severity of OSA.

methodsA thorough literature search was carried out from Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Embase databases following the PRISMA guidelines, and eight studies were included. The primary outcome was the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and secondary outcomes were maximal oxygen consumption, oxygen desaturation index, mean oxygen saturation during sleep, Epworth sleepiness scale, body mass index, and neck circumference. RevMan version 5.4.1 was utilized for analysis.

resultsMeta-analysis involved seven studies that showed that aerobic training significantly improved the AHI with a mean difference of -5.24 and an overall effect of p < 0.00001; and VO

conclusionThe current review concludes that there is supporting evidence for the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise training in reducing the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42023453316.

Indexed as

ExerciseExercise TherapySleep Apnea, ObstructiveHumansOxygen ConsumptionApnea hypopnea indexEndurance exerciseObstructive sleep apneaSleep disorders

Identifiers

PMID40329037
PMCPMC12987821

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.