Nocturia: symptoms, causes, treatment, etc. & bull; hello healthy

Definition

What is nocturia?

Nocturia, or nocturnal polyuria, is a medical term used to describe the condition of urinating too often at night. When you wake up more than two times each night to use the toilet, you probably have nocturia.

Normally, you can sleep for 6 to 8 hours without having to wake up to urinate. However, if you have nocturia you can generally wake up five or six times a night to urinate. Therefore, sufferers of this condition have poor sleep quality.

Apart from interfering with the quality of sleep, this condition may actually be a sign of certain health problems. Some of these include urinary tract infections, tumors in the bladder or prostate, bladder prolapse, and even diabetes.

Generally, nocturia is a condition that can be divided into 4 types. This type determines what causes you to urinate too often at night.

Polyuria, when your body produces too much urine in a 24 hour period.
Nocturnal polyuria, when your body produces too much urine at night.
Bladder capacity problems, when your bladder can't store and excrete urine properly.
Mixed nocturia, when the nocturia results from a combination of the above.

Please note that this condition is different from enuresis or bed-wetting, which is more common in toddlers and children.

How common is nocturia?

Nocturia is a very common condition. As many as 1 in 3 adults aged 30 years and over have experienced it.

The incidence of this condition increases with age. This may be due to lifestyle changes or other health problems, such as diabetes and congestive heart failure.

This condition is also commonly found in women who are pregnant. This is because the enlarged uterus can put pressure on the bladder, so that the urge to urinate increases.

Nocturia is a condition that can be treated by recognizing the risk factors that are present. To find out more information about this disease, you can consult your doctor.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of nocturia?

Generally, you can sleep 6-8 hours a night without getting up to go to the toilet. One of the main signs and symptoms of nocturia is getting up more than twice at night to urinate. This can cause disruption of the normal sleep cycle.

There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

If you have any signs or symptoms above or any other questions, please consult your doctor.

Each sufferer's body shows signs and symptoms that vary. To get the most appropriate treatment and according to your health condition, always have your symptoms checked by the doctor or the nearest health service center.

Cause

What causes nocturia?

Your urinary tract is made up of organs that are responsible for producing, storing, and removing urine. Urine is the residual discharge from your body.

Urine forms when your kidneys clean your blood. Normally, the kidneys make about 400 to 2,000 mL of urine each day. In some cases, the body of a person with nocturia produces more than normal urine.

However, this condition can also occur due to other health problems. One of them is urinary tract infection. This infection causes a burning sensation and a feeling of needing to pass urine during the day and night.

In addition, drinking too much water just before bedtime, especially alcohol and caffeine, can also cause you to wake up frequently at night to urinate.

So, nocturia is a condition that has a lot to do with lifestyle choices to medical conditions. The following are some of the medical conditions that are closely related to this disease:

Infection or enlargement of the prostate
Drop in the bladder
Overactive bladder syndrome
Tumors in the bladder, prostate or pelvic area
Diabetes
Anxiety
Kidney infection
Edema, or swelling of the lower legs
Neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, or spinal cord compression
Heart failure

In addition to the problems above, other conditions that can trigger nocturia include:

1. Pregnancy

The urge to urinate at night continuously can be an early symptom of pregnancy. This condition can appear in early pregnancy. However, its appearance is more common when the uterus is getting bigger and pressing on the bladder.

2. Sleep apnea

Apart from that, excessive urination at night is also a symptom obstructive sleep apnea. This can happen even if the bladder is not full. So sleep apnea managed to control, the symptoms will disappear.

3. Drug side effects

Some types of medication can cause nocturia as a side effect, especially if you are taking diuretic drugs (water pills). These drugs are usually used to treat high blood pressure or leg edema.

The following are medicines that may trigger a nighttime urge to have a bowel movement:

Demeclocycline
Lithium
Methoxyflurane
Phenytoin
Propoxyphene

You should seek emergency medical care if you lose the ability to urinate, or are unable to control your urination.

4. As a result of lifestyle

A common cause of this condition is excessive fluid consumption. Alcohol and caffeinated drinks are diuretics, which if you consume them, your body will cause more urine.

Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeinated beverages can impair sleep quality and it is necessary to urinate at night.

Some people who have nocturia are people who only wake up at night to urinate.

Risk factors

What increases my risk for nocturia?

Nocturia is a condition that can happen to anyone, regardless of age group or racial group. However, there are several factors that increase a person's risk of developing this condition.

Having one or more risk factors does not mean you will definitely experience the condition. There is also a low chance of developing nocturia even if you don't have any of the risk factors.

The following are risk factors that can lead to the appearance of excessive urination at night:

1. Age

This condition tends to be more common in elderly patients. This is likely due to increasing health problems with age.

So, if you belong to the elderly group, your chances of suffering from this disease are greater.

2. Suffering from certain diseases

People who have certain diseases, such as congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) have a higher risk of experiencing increased frequency of urinating at night.

3. Suffering from kidney and urinary problems

If you have had or are suffering from kidney and urinary tract problems, such as kidney stones, urinary tract infections, or an overactive bladder, your risk of developing nocturia is higher.

4. Having trouble breathing

If you have trouble breathing, especially while sleeping at night or sleep apnea, your chances of experiencing the condition are greater.

5. There is a tumor in the prostate

The presence of tumors, whether benign or potentially cancerous cells, can affect your chances of developing this condition.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) or benign prostate enlargement is one of the main causes of this disease.

Although an enlarged prostate is harmless and does not have the potential to become cancerous, it can narrow the urethral tract, making it difficult for urine to flow smoothly. This causes the urination to feel incomplete and the patient often wakes up at night.

Therefore, those of you who suffer from prostate cancer are also more likely to experience this condition.

6. Environment

People who have been or are frequently exposed to hazardous substances, such as nuclear radiation or mercury poisoning, have a greater chance of developing this disease.

Diagnosis & treatment

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

How is nocturia diagnosed?

The process of diagnosing the cause of the nocturia can be difficult. Before making a diagnosis, the doctor will ask you several questions. These questions include:

When did nocturia start?
How many times a night do you urinate?
Are you producing less urine than before?
Have you been in an accident or have you wet the bed?
Has anything made your condition worse?
Do you have any other symptoms?
What medicines do you use?
Do you have a family history of bladder problems or diabetes?

Keeping a diary of what you drink and how much, as well as how often you urinate, can help.

You can also perform several checks such as:

Blood sugar test (to see diabetes)
Blood urea test
Urine culture
Fluid deficiency test
Imaging or image-taking tests, such as ultrasounds

How is nocturia handled?

If the nocturia is caused by medication, taking the medication earlier during the day can help.

Treatment for nocturia can sometimes include medications, such as anticholinergic drugs, which can reduce symptoms of an overactive bladder, or desmopressin, which causes the kidneys to produce less urine. The following is a further explanation.

Anticholinergic drugs are commonly prescribed to treat enuresis, which also has a 5-40% success rate in overcoming nocturia. The side effects include dry mouth, dizziness and blurred vision.

Darifenacin: helps relieve bladder spasms and treats an overactive bladder.
Oxybutynin: helps relax the detrusor muscle in the bladder.
Tolterodine: this antimuscarinic class of drugs works like oxybutynin.
Trospium Chloride: helps block cholinergic receptors in the bladder, so that bladder overactivity is reduced.
Solifenacin: this drug is an antimuscarinic agent with fewer anticholinergic side effects.

If the drugs above are considered not showing progress in recovery, the doctor may prescribe the following drugs:

Desmopressin: similar to ADH or vasopressin, this drug helps the kidneys produce less urine.
Furosemide: this type of diuretic drug helps regulate urine production during the day, so that urine at night is reduced.
Bumetanide: this diuretic drug regulates urine production at night.

Nocturia is a condition that can cause other health problems to get worse, such as diabetes or a urinary tract infection that can worsen or spread if left untreated. When these health conditions have been resolved, generally this disease will also go away on its own.

Home remedies

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be done to treat nocturia?

Here are lifestyle and home remedies that can help you deal with nocturia:

1. Improve diet and lifestyle

Reducing the amount you drink before bed can prevent you from passing stool at night. Avoiding drinks containing alcohol and caffeine can also help, as well as defecating before you sleep.

Some foods are also diuretic, such as chocolate, spicy foods and artificial sweeteners. Kegel exercises can strengthen the pelvic muscles and improve urinary control.

Apart from that, you can also do Kegel exercises and pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles and thus improve bladder control.

2. Take a nap

By getting enough rest and sleep during the day, the buildup of fluids in your body can be prevented, so that body fluids will be distributed evenly in the body through the bloodstream. This makes you less likely to urinate too often.

3. Lifting legs

As with napping, lifting your legs helps your body to distribute the fluids evenly, so they can be absorbed by the bloodstream. You can do this while lying down and stacking pillows under your feet.

4. Use compression stockings

Use special stockings that can do the same as lifting your legs. These stockings can provide pressure and help to distribute the fluid evenly in the bloodstream.