Nocturia is the medical term for a condition in which people urinate more than necessary while they sleep. It’s one of the most common disorders you’ll find with men and one of their greatest nighttime nuisances.
Is Nocturia Dangerous
If you’ve looked into nocturia, you’ll see that it can be a symptom of several different medical conditions. There are two primary forms of nocturia:
1) Delayed Voiding Time (DVT)
2) Diabetic Neuropathy (DMN)
Some neurological problem with the bladder usually causes delayed voiding time (if your doctor finds you have DVT, your bladder isn’t working as well as it should). Several things can cause this, including Injury to nerves around the bladder and prostate swelling/cancer. Diabetic neuropathy happens during diabetes and causes damage to nerves throughout the body (DMN is classically described in toes but can also affect other parts of the body).
This does not mean Nocturia is a serious condition since it can also be caused by less severe conditions, such as poor sleeping habits or an excessive intake of liquids. So it just depends on the underlying reason for it.
How does a Low Testosterone Level Correlate with Nocturia
If your testosterone levels are low, you could have nocturia problems, and vice versa. Based on some studies, there is a correlation between low testosterone levels and nocturia. The study that showed the University of Maryland Medical Center did the correlation. They found that around 1 in 2 men with low testosterone suffered from nocturia problems. The University of Illinois, Chicago also found a similar correlation between frequent urination in men and low testosterone levels.
Low testosterone can be due to many different factors, but one of the most common is when the testicles become damaged during birth. If the testicles aren’t producing enough testosterone to keep up with their demands, it can cause nocturia.
What Causes Nocturia
There are several different causes for nocturia, including:
Loss of Muscle Control in the Bladder
If the bladder doesn’t control itself properly, you may urinate more than average at night. The nerves that control your bladder are located in the brain and can become damaged by Trauma, Diabetes, or other conditions.
Decrease in Blood Flow
Blood flow to the brain decreases by over 40% during sleep, resulting in your brain not telling your bladder when it’s complete. If less blood flows to the brain, the brain cannot signal the bladder to warn you that you’re about to urinate. This is a pervasive problem for older men and men with diabetes.
Prostate Problems
If you have an enlarged prostate, it can cause excessive urination during the night. This can be caused by several factors, including Injury from birth and several other conditions.
Sedentary Lifestyle
If you sit at your job all day without moving your legs much, you may have nocturia when you sleep because your muscles aren’t as strong during sleep.
Diabetic Neuropathy (DMN)
If you have diabetes and your nerves are damaged in other parts of your body, it can leave you with problems controlling your bladder at night.
Excessive Intake of Liquids during the Day
After you drink liquids all day, your bladder is supposed to get a signal that it’s full and start to stop urinating. Crops up in people who don’t move their legs often at work or sit at a desk all day long.
Kidney Stones
If you have Kidney stones, it can cause the urine to back up in your bladder and cause nocturia.
Diagnosing Nocturia
To diagnose your nocturia problem, you will probably have to undergo a physical examination to rule out any other conditions causing your pain. The doctor will look for surgery scars or bladder and prostate injuries. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will need some data on how often you’ve been going to the bathroom.
This means that you’ll have to track the number of times you went to the bathroom. You should also give the doctor a list of what you drink during the day and how much of it, and any other medical conditions you may be suffering from.
After getting all this information, your doctor will still need a physical examination, including a digital rectal exam (DRE). At this point, your doctor will come up with an exact diagnosis (or rule out others).
Which Specialist to Contact
Suppose you’re having nocturia problems, and it is causing you a lot of distress. In that case, you should probably make an appointment with your primary care doctor to see if he can help (or rule out any other medical condition that could be causing it).
You should also make an appointment with a urologist or a nephrologist if your nocturia problem goes away after taking medication. These are doctors who specialize in the urinary tract and other organs in the body. They have a lot of experience in treating nocturia and are the most qualified to help you with your problem.
No one type of medication works best for all cases of nocturia, so your doctor will have to try different drugs first before coming up with the right combination for you.
In conclusion, nocturia is a reasonably common condition. In some cases, the problem will go away on its own (without treatment), but this depends on the underlying cause of your nocturia problem. Just make sure that you are regular with your doctor and that they are treating the underlying cause of your problem.