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Nocturia: Urinating Twice or More During the Night

Do you get up twice or more to urinate during the night? If so, you’re not alone and you may have a urological condition known as nocturia. While most people don’t realize it (and have probably never even heard of it before) nocturia is a relatively common condition. According to a Sept. 3rd news release from LoyolaUniversity, nocturia is a condition that affects an estimated 50% of men age 45 and older; although experts from the National Association for Continence explain that the condition can occur at any age and experts from the Cleveland Clinic point out that the condition affects both men and women.

While many people may think that getting up twice during the night doesn’t seem like such a big deal, in reality it is enough to disrupt a person’s normal sleeping cycle, can lead to a lower quality of sleep, and can be detrimental to one’s overall quality of life. Experts from the Cleveland Clinic explain that people should be able to get at least 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night (without having to get up and go to the bathroom). As explained in a MedlinePlus article, when we go to bed each night and our bodies prepare to enter the sleep cycle the body usually reduces how much urine is produced throughout the night, which allows us to be able to sleep for a solid 6-8 hours without having to urinate. For some reason this doesn’t happen for some people, which researches say could be attributed to a variety of different causes (which tend to vary between men and women since we have different anatomies).

Common Causes for Nocturia in Women Include:

-- Childbirth

-- Menopause

-- Pelvic organ prolapse

Common Causes for Nocturia in Men Include:

-- Enlarged prostate glands (BPH)

Gender-Neutral Causes for Nocturia Include (but aren’t limited to):

-- Drinking too many fluids before heading to bed

-- Drinking caffeine or alcohol during the evening hours

-- Having bladder / urinary tract infections

-- A diminished bladder capacity

-- Fluid redistribution (which causes excess fluids - like from swollen legs, ankles, and fingers - to be reabsorbed by the bloodstream when a person lies down)

-- Taking diuretic medications

In addition to the causes listed above, Nocturia can be a symptom of underlying conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, vascular disease, restless leg syndrome, sleep disorders, and insomnia.

Thankfully there are a variety of treatments available to help make nocturia more manageable and improve patients’ quality of sleep. The first step is consulting with your healthcare provider and getting a proper diagnosis. Keeping a 2-day diary of the things you, what eat, medications you take, and how often you empty your bladder can help identify the causes of your nocturia and lead to a more effective treatment plan.

Treatment Options for Nocturia:

-- Limiting fluid intake during the evening hours

-- Taking short afternoon naps

-- Increasing your physical activity levels

-- Using bolster pillows or heels-off cushions to keep your legs elevated while you sleep at night

-- Wearing compression stockings

-- Talking to your doctor about possible medicinal options

Mountainside Medical Equipment also offers a variety of incontinence care products that are designed to help keep you and your bedding nice and dry throughout the night.

 

Sources:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/nocturia/hic_nocturia.aspx

http://www.nafc.org/bladder-health/nocturia/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003141.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_148233.html

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