Effect of Incentive Spirometry in Subjects with Snoring

Introduction Snoring is the vibratory sound generated from the upper airway due to partial upper airway obstruction resulting from narrowing that occurs during sleep. Snoring if not addressed leads to obstructive sleep apnea which thereby increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.Objective To evaluate the effect of incentive spirometry in subjects with snoring.Materials and Method Thirty subjects both male and female with snoring within age group of 20 to 60 years performed incentive spirometry exercise with 10 repetitions four times a day for four weeks. The outcome measures overnight recording of pulse oximeter and SOS Snore Outcome Survey questionnaire were recorded at the start and the end of the entire session.Result Paired t-test t1.425 was carried out to compare the mean and SDs of pre-test and post-test scores and were found to be non-significant pgt0.05. Wilcoxon test z4.065 was carried out to compare the mean and standard deviations of pre-test and post-test scores which was found to be highly significant plt0.001.Conclusion This study concluded that the effect of incentive spirometry in subjects with snoring was not statistically significant but clinically significant. In subjects with less severe snoring no significant effects were noticed in the overnight oxygen saturation. However the patient reported outcome measure i.e. SOS questionnaire showed significant improvement after the practice of incentive spirometry exercise for four weeks.