Sleep Apnea and Fitness, or Muscle Mass or Youth or what?

Which is more important to address than poor sleep? 
Are there any possible hidden factors not being addressed?

Mike's comments in bold
A new study finds that young Air Force men and NFL players have some similar qualities. They exercise regularly, often at body-building, they develop muscle mass in the arms and neck; and they may have obstructive sleep apnea, a disease that can be debilitating and even fatal.

A measurement of exercise performance can be found in aerobic exercise, which involves improving oxygen consumption by the body. The most accurate test of aerobic fitness involves the measurement of maximal rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max). VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen consumed and is measured in milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute. this may well not be true. .......

Methodology: All active duty USAF personnel were required to undergo annual cycle ergometry testing between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2003. Mean ergometry scores for this population were obtained from the databases at the Population Health Support Division at Brooks Air Force Base (AFB), TX. Mean VO2max was available for each year, classified by age and gender, providing a composite of over 290,000 annual ergometry tests, for a total of nearly 1.4 million (1,399,174) ergometry tests scores.  This process is not good for challenged breathing that might often be improved under optimal breathing development conditions.

42 patients (17 percent) underwent 57 OSA-related surgical procedures; 117 patients (48.2 percent) were recommended for CPAP.  Yikes. Who wouldn't duck such an inquiry with the prospect of being surgically maimed for life. There may be a lot of un-needed surgeries and CPAP usage. I pray they contact us to see how we can add to the big picture.

When adjusting for age and gender, many sub-groups with sleep apnea in this study actually scored higher than normative values of the entire Air Force population. ...................... The qualities that make a professional soldier formidable on the battlefield (increased BMI due to upper body muscular hypertrophy with large muscular necks) can leave the young combatant gasping for breath during sleep. For sure a part of it but what is the non drug answer?

Personnel identified with OSA by PSG are frequently unfavorably limited in terms of assignments and deployablility, due to the need for CPAP and its limited utility under field conditions. Thus many personnel opt not to undergo evaluation for sleep disordered breathing, or seek surgical options without PSG documentation. They need to look deeply into the way they breathe and they may avoid a lot of grief.

Conclusions: Overall, in a young Air Force population, mild OSA does not predict a decrease in aerobic fitness as measured by cycle ergometry. wrong way to measure it. However, those patients with moderate to severe OSA (AHI >20) have a statistically significant decrease in aerobic fitness compared to the normal population. Changes in aerobic fitness measurements between control patients and mild OSA patients may be masked or attenuated by the overall healthy, physically fit status of the military personnel studied. However, once moderate to severe OSA was noted, aerobic fitness scores statistically declined.  Complete story   Hidden factors 

Diaphragm strength and sleep.
If you're like most people, you know that one of the biggest dangers of snoring and untreated sleep apnea is a reduction in the body's intake of oxygen. It's a little known fact that your diaphragm muscles can be a HUGE help in reducing sleep apnea and breathing volume. 
The diaphragm muscles are responsible for breathing – weak muscles mean your breathing isn't as strong or as easily deepened as it should be. But there is hope!
There are a few key breathing development techniques and exercises that are meant to strengthen the diaphragm and increase lung volume and oxygen intake.  
Without the right amount of oxygen, we experience fatigue and depression, and low oxygen levels can also lead to serious health conditions such as heart failure. By following our program in our Sleep program you'll be well on your way to a stronger diaphragm, greater lung volume and more oxygen. 

Recommendations: 
Self Help Sleep Program
Sleep Clinic