Role of Sleep Apnea and Urinary Incontinence in Increased Nighttime Urination (Nocturia)
Nocturia, or the need to frequently get up and use the bathroom at night, can be a frustrating and disruptive experience for many. While drinking too many fluids before bedtime can sometimes be the cause, there are often underlying health conditions at play, such as sleep apnea and urinary incontinence. In fact, patients who experience increased urinary urgency during the day are more likely to make multiple trips to the bathroom at night.
Nocturia can lead to long-term sleep deprivation and affect your daily functioning, making it essential to understand the causes and effective treatments. In this blog post, we’ll explore the link between sleep apnea and urinary incontinence and their relationship with nocturia. We will also discuss preventive measures and effective treatments to help manage this bothersome urinary symptom.
Sleep Apnea
Although sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder, it is not easy to diagnose. The latter is because most symptoms occur when you are asleep. As a result, a considerable number of moderate cases remain undiagnosed. You can watch out for the most common symptom of sleep apnea — waking up to urinate frequently. Sleep apnea and nighttime urination overlap, so treating sleep apnea reduces the urge to urinate at night.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious breathing disorder with long-term health risks. This sleep-related breathing problem causes the airway to close during sleep. The patient experiences frequent, brief breathing pauses, sometimes hundreds of times per night. Sleep apnea impacts sleep quality by interrupting oxygen flow in the body.
Different types of sleep apnea cause nocturnal urinary frequency at night. For example, one of the most common is obstructive sleep apnea, which constricts airflow by relaxed muscles that disrupt the throat’s mechanics. Another form of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea, which is characterized by skipped breath beats. Central sleep apnea is common among patients that experience mixed messaging between the body and the brain. Sleep apnea results in insufficient oxygen supply to the body’s major organs, as a result your body may activate survival reflexes that interrupt your sleep cycle.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
There are many sleep apnea symptoms. However, some are hard to spot unless you’re a medical expert. The most common symptoms include:
- Daytime sleepiness may cause drowsiness in severe cases
- Tiredness, even after a full night’s sleep
- Loud snoring
- Mood changes characterized by anxiety, irritability and depression
- Disruption of brain activities, characterized by trouble concentrating, memory loss and other brain-related issues
- Waking up repeatedly at night. This symptom may be hard to notice, especially because most people experience memory loss. People with sleep apnea rarely remember waking up to use the bathroom
- Cheyne-Stokes breathing (CSB), which is the unusual periodic breathing that occurs after airway obstruction
- Insomnia
- Sexual dysfunction
- Shortness of breath
Treatment Options for Sleep Apnea
There are different approaches to treating sleep apnea. However, they depend on the specific type and severity. Some of the recommended treatment options that can reduce breathing disruption at night include:
- Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy
- Adaptive ventilation devices
- Nerve stimulators
- Surgeries such as somnoplasty, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, nasal surgery and tonsillectomy
- Supplemental oxygen therapy
- Oral appliances such as mouthpieces
- Medications to speed up breathing for central sleep apnea patients only
Urinary Incontinence
Commonly abbreviated as UI, urinary incontinence is a condition that occurs when patients lose control over their urinary sphincter. This uncomfortable condition is common among elderly patients prone to losing bladder control. Its severity varies from leaking urine after a sneeze to experiencing urinary urges in the middle of the night. Although aging is a factor causing urinary incontinence, other primary causes define different types of incontinence. These include:
- Stress incontinence resulting from damaged or weakening muscles such as the urethral sphincter and pelvic floor muscles
- Urge incontinence caused by overactivity of the patient’s detrusor muscle
- Overflow incontinence resulting from bladder blockage or obstruction
- Total incontinence or functional incontinence caused by factors such as a recurring problem with the bladder from birth or spinal injury
- Mixed incontinence, or suffering from multiple types of incontinence
Urinary Incontinence Symptoms
Each type of urinary incontinence has unique symptoms for males and females. The main sign noticeable in both genders is the inability to prevent urine leakage. Talk to a urologist if you notice the following symptoms:
- Strong urge to urinate frequently, especially at night
- Involuntary leakage during physical activities
- Bladder leakage
UI Treatment Options
Treatments vary for male and female incontinence. The most effective UI treatment procedures recommended by urologists include the following:
- Minimally Invasive Sling Procedure for men and women
- Bulking agent for men
- Artificial urinary sphincter for men
- Various medications to keep the bladder from involuntary contractions in men and women
- Pelvic physical therapy to strengthen pelvic floor muscles in both men and women
- Botox to relax bladder muscles in women
- Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation and InterStim UI treatment for women
Talk to a Urology Specialist if You Wake Up to Urinate at Night
Sleep apnea and urinary incontinence are the first culprits to consider if you feel like your nighttime urinary urges are taking over your life. Both problems can be challenging, but they are treatable with the correct diagnosis and intervention. To learn more about your condition, or simply speak to a professional, schedule an appointment with one of our experienced urologists and take back control of your sleep schedule.