Does this sound familiar? You had a restless night and are now tired because of the number of times you woke up to use the bathroom. This unfortunate situation is a common reality for millions of people. The frequent interruptions throughout the night that require you to get up and urinate – also known as nocturia – can take a toll on your overall health and well-being, but is it a urinary or sleep problem? Keep reading to learn more about this condition and how a sleep specialist can help improve your symptoms.
What Causes Nocturia?
Nocturia most commonly occurs when:
- You drink an excessive amount of liquid before going to bed.
- You take a diuretic (water pill) to try and dispel salt and additional fluid from your body.
- You struggle with a bladder obstruction or have some kind of infection.
- You have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or obstructive sleep apnea.
- You are pregnant or going through menopause.
- You have restless leg syndrome.
How Can a Frequent Need to Urinate at Night Negatively Affect Your Sleep?
When your body keeps alerting you to wake up and use the bathroom at night, it can (and will) begin to take a toll on your sleep quality.
If you have obstructive sleep apnea, living with nocturia can exacerbate your symptoms of chronic fatigue, drowsy driving, moodiness, poor work performance and personal relationships, forgetfulness, etc., which can worsen over time if you do not receive treatment.
When you’re already struggling to breathe properly while asleep because of an airway obstruction, you may find it increasingly difficult to go back to sleep after getting up to urinate.
This is a reason why some individuals suffer from insomnia – the inability to fall asleep initially or after briefly waking up.
What Kind of Treatment is Available?
Fortunately, you don’t have to be the one to determine whether your nocturia is a urinary problem or a sleep disorder. Instead, you can rely on a trusted sleep expert to help you navigate your symptoms and determine the best course of action for treatment.
This may include medication, lifestyle changes (i.e., stopping fluids earlier, elevating your legs, etc.), or other methods of care that can be used in combination with these solutions, such as oral appliance treatment or CPAP therapy.
No matter what your sleep specialist recommends, you can trust that they will help identify the root cause of your nocturia and provide the care you need to start sleeping through the night uninterrupted.
About the Practice
Having trouble staying asleep because you need to go to the bathroom multiple times every night? At Star Sleep & Wellness in Frisco, our team of sleep experts wants to help you overcome this problem. Using proven solutions to reduce nighttime urination and improve sleep quality, we encourage you to contact us to schedule a consultation if you are ready to do something about the chronic fatigue you’re experiencing.