Nocturia is a condition in which people experience the urge to urinate one or more times in the night, when typically, they should be asleep. The condition is prevalent in both men and women but for the purpose of this article we will focus on Nocturia Urination in women. Nocturia leads to disturbed or incomplete sleep, which in turn causes fatigue and reduced productivity in the day-time.
A vicious cycle of fatigue and Nocturia can compromise one’s health leading to more complications over time. Most women, especially in their middle-ages, dismiss it as a natural outcome of aging, which it is not. It’s important to take the condition seriously, and receive treatment for the same, for overall, long-term health.
There are 4 major ways in which the condition manifests itself, each with its own set of reasons.
As the name implies, Polyuria is a condition in which the volume of urine is excessive. Too much water is filtered from the body, by the kidneys of the women with Nocturia. While normal women form 800 ml to 2 liters of urine in 24-hours’ time, women with Nocturia can form as much as 3 liters in 24-hours’ time. As is obvious, there is something in the urine or body of such women which is pulling or draining excess water from the body. The reasons could be:
While Polyuria causes frequent urination through day and night, in women with Nocturnal Polyuria, a normal quantity of urine is formed in the day, while excessive quantity is formed in the night, leading to nocturnal urination. This happens because their bodies are retaining fluid throughout the day. This fluid accumulates in the legs, especially feet, during the day time. When the woman is lying down for a long time (night sleep vs day-time nap), gravity is no longer pulling the fluid into the legs. The fluid enters the veins again, and from there, the kidneys filter them and form urine. There are various causes for this:
When adequate quantity of urine fills up in the bladder, a signal is sent to the brain that the person must urinate soon, during which, the bladder empties the urine fully (called voiding of urine). This is the normal urination process. In some people, this voiding does not happen properly, or enough urine is not filled up but the brain still sends a signal for urination. The person wakes up to urinate small quantities of urine every time. This leads to disturbed sleep, and associative urination. That is, the person is woken up and decides to urinate even if the urge is not strong and then forms a habit around it. The causes for these conditions ae varied:
Causes for bladder not voiding properly are generally
Causes for bladder not filling up fully before brain signals are sent:
Some women may suffer from more than one of the above types of Nocturia, in which case more than one of the underlying causes across those types are present in the body. In addition to those causes, obesity, menopause, kidney stones, kidney failure, kidney disease, some pancreatic cancers and hypercalcemia (excess calcium in the blood) can also cause Nocturia.
A urologist or nephrologist will conduct a series of tests on the patient to assess the extent of the problem and detect the underlying cause:
Treatment options are either Lifestyle changes or Medication. Surgery is rarely an option, unless a large kidney stone or a tumor must be removed.
If you, or any of the women near and dear to you, are waking every night to urinate, it could be a sign of Nocturia. Do not dismiss this lightly, or do not panic. Nocturia is perfectly treatable. Consult a urologist at a reputed hospital. He/she will conduct the tests mentioned above and put you on the right course of treatment for quick and long-term relief from Nocturia.
Reviewed by Dr Suresh S Venkita, Group Medical Director, Kauvery Hospitals
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
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My mother has this problem. I have been asking her to get it checked but she refuses because she is embarrassed. We should normalize these things with more awareness.
I ϲonstantly sρent my half an hour to read this blⲟg’s articles or reviews every day along with a mug of coffee.
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