Nocturia
Nocturia can be defined as a health condition in which an individual has to awaken more than once at night to pass urine. Although, the condition could occur in individuals of all ages, however it is frequently seen in older people (more than 60 years of age) and pregnant women.
Symptoms
An average person can sleep around 6-8 hours at night without any disturbance or need to go to the bathroom. Individuals who suffer from nocturia have to get up more than once at night to go to the bathroom this obviously is a cause of great irritation and disturbance for these individuals.
Types of nocturia
There are several types of nocturia, some of them are mentioned below;
1. Polyuria- when an individual produces approximately more than two liters of urine every day.
2. Nocturnal polyuria- when an individual produces huge quantities of urine at night.
3. Low nocturnal bladder capacity- when an individual produces more quantities of urine than his bladder can hold. Due to this reason he has to make a lot of night trips to the bathroom.
4. Mixed nocturia- This condition is a mixture of both low nocturnal bladder capacity and nocturnal polyuria.
5. Poor sleeping habits- Some people naturally have poor sleeping habits, they wake many times at night and whenever they do so they go to the bathroom.
Causes
The different types of nocturia namely polyuria, nocturnal polyuria, low nocturnal capacity and mixed nocturia have their own set of causes. Polyuria is caused by high intake of fluid, untreated Type I or II diabetes, insipidus and gestational diabetes. Nocturnal polyuria is caused by swelling in legs, apnea or other sleep disorders and drinking caffeinated drinks before going to bed. The causes of low nocturnal bladder capacity include bladder infection, inflammation, over-activity and obstruction, bladder malignancy and benign prostate hyperplasia.
Diagnosis
In order to get a quick diagnosis of nocturia your doctor may ask you to keep a fluid diary which is essentially a two day record of your drink and input and urine output. You also have to mention in this diary if you are taking any medications that have polyuria or nocturnal polyuria as a possible side effect. To be on the safe side it is recommended that you mention all medications that you might be currently taking, another thing to mention in your diary are any urinary infections you might have had in the past. This fluid diary helps your doctor to quickly and efficiently diagnose your nocturia. Your doctor will also instruct you get your urine tested to determine if you have any urinary infections or not.
Possible treatments
Once you have recognized that you are suffering from all of the above mentioned symptoms of nocturia, you must not delay any further and visit the doctor as soon as you can. Your physician will advise as to how to cure your nocturia, because treatment of nocturia depends on the type of nocturia that you might have. If the cause of your nocturia is determined to be sleep disorders such as apnea, your doctor may refer you to a pulmonologist.
To treat your nocturia without medications you can resolve to make some changes in your daily routine, such as; avoiding drinking a lot of fluids at night time (this rule applies specially to caffeinated drinks), try taking small naps in the afternoon and make it a habit to sit at least half an hour a day with your legs alleviated slightly from the rest of your body this will help your blood circulation and thus you will not suffer from nocturnal polyuria.
If you decide to treat your nocturia with medications, there are many available that can provide relief to you against your nocturia. Some medications help you reduce or lessen the symptoms of your overactive bladder, regulate your daily urine production, decrease the production of urine in your body and even aid your bladder in producing less quantities of urine.
Nocturia is a very serious health problem, it should not be ignored as being something minor in fact you should give it your immediate attention and visit the doctor as soon as you can.