Comprehensive Lifestyle Interventions in Obstructive Sleep Apneea

There is a complex link between obesity and obstructive sleep apneea (OSA), and there are new guidelines for comprehensive lifestyle interventions (CLI) for weight loss, with beneficial results on obese patients with OSA. A structured algorithm is proposed, step by step, according to BMI. All these recommendations are evidence based, a large meta-analysis is further discussed as an evidence base.

Implications in clinical practice outline: the effectiveness of lifestyle changes in reducing OSA outcomes, higher efficiency for complex interventions on male patients with severe OSA, duration of the intervention and combination with CPAP usage are not statistically correlated with lifestyle interventions effects on OSA. Different types of food affect sleep quality, high fat diets and processed meat are correlated with OSA. Higher adherence to Mediterranean Diets, that is very common used in CLI is a predictor for OSA outcomes improvement. Metabolic bariatric surgery MBS, indicated for a specific group of patients will ameliorate OSA. Building a long term partnership with the patients with OSA and obesity will ensure adherence to therapeutically measures and finally good results in improving quality of life.