Were you up often to use the bathroom BEFORE Cpap?

[DegoDiva]

Hi all! I'm brand new to all this - haven't even seem my sleep dr. yet. My general physician sent me for a sleep study, which I had this past Saturday. After 90 minutes of sleep, the technician came in and had me sleep the rest of the night with full mask and a pressure of 12 on the cpap. So I know I've got apnea - just seeing the sleep dr. this Friday to go over numbers, info on cpap machines, etc.. I've been reading this forum since the minute I got home from my study, and I'm so thankful to have this support even before I start on cpap. I'm scared, for sure, had a good cry over the whole thing, but reading how well so many of you have been living with cpap has made me hopeful, and, dare I say, even looking forward to a good night's sleep. Which brings me to my question....

For years I've gotten up 3-5 times a night to use the bathroom. My dr. has ruled out illnesses. He feels that because I'm heavy, my legs retain water throughout the day, and then my body absorbs it when I'm laying down at night, thus making me have to urinate often. I'm not buying it... my legs just don' seem that swollen and I'm not on my feet all day. Could it be connected to my apnea? Did any of you have the same problem before cpap, which has resolved itself since?

I'm hoping it's connected - I can't imagine having to get in and out of the mask that many times a night, or top of using the bathroom!

Thanks!

[Wonka]

Yes, but After cpap use, my bathroom visits have been less frequent.

[RandyJ]

Nocturia is one of the more common symptoms of apnea. Before cpap, I got up 3 to 4 times a night to urinate.

After cpap, 0.

[mayondair]

I used to get up 2-3 times a night, no more if you do need to get up, just disconnect the hose from the mask, don't have to take the mask off. Less to fiddle with in the middle of he night. Be sure and get a full data machine! Kathy

[Muse-Inc]

8-10 times/night that stopped on night 1 of CPAP therapy never to return! Hoorah

[codinqueen]

Yes, pre-CPAP I was up 3 or 4 times a night to pee, but since about 3 months after starting CPAP rarely get up at all. It appears preCPAP I woke up because of apnea, not a full bladder. It was a pleasant surprise to not have to get up so often for bathroom use. I use the Swift FX mask, very light and easy nasal pillow mask, and if I do need to get up, i just take the mask off over my head. Very easy to slide it back over head to put on again.
Make sure if you are not comfortable with your mask to tell your DME within a month. most DME's will exchange at no extra charge that first month, until you find one that is comfy.

[Pugsy]

Nocturia is a common symptom with sleep apnea. I used to wake up about every hour on the hour with a full bladder despite limiting fluid intake near bedtime. It stopped once I had my therapy optimal.

There is a medical reason for it.
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-dis ... nation.htm
I used to have a better link describing it but in general the apnea events put stress on the heart and the heart then produces a hormone that I can't remember name which gets sent to the kidneys and the kidneys react by producing more urine...so have to pee more.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

For me it was a 3 – 5 times a night due to what I now know from my education here at CPAPtalk as Nocturia. The stupidest part for me about this is when I would get up use the bathroom I would always sip some water to offset the dry mouth and throat from my severe snoring, so I thought for quite a few years that doing that was the cause of it all! A friend at work I had talked to about it once said he thought that I must be having Prostate problems, but because of the volume of urine I had each time I would go I knew it wasn’t.

Since starting CPAP therapy 6 nights ago it has been an amazing change in this area as it is now down to 0, except for when the dog gets me up, like last night at 12:45 am to go outside. So, not wanting to wake up too much by removing everything, I just unplugged the hose from the machine, got up, went outside with my nasal mask on and the hose wrapped around my neck like a snake... I’m sure it was a Kodak moment and best of all it seemed to amuse the dog.

On a happy note, I did go right back to sleep after taking her outside. Yes!

John

[idamtnboy]

Yep, went from 2-3/night to 0-1/night.

[131]

It's amazing how many different symptoms I had that I never put together with a single cause. I put my 2 -3 toilet visits a night down to the 6-8 cups of strong black tea I drink daily, so I stopped drinking tea by 4pm, no change in nightly toilet visits. 2 weeks of CPAP and no nightly toilet visits, regardless of tea consumption.

[DegoDiva]

Oh wow! Thanks for the info folks! I'm more and more hopeful that cpap will have many benefits for me, so that I stay motivated to stick with it. Looking forward to getting mine. I'll let you know how things turn out after my dr, appointment Friday!

Thanks!

[xenablue]

YES!!! For the forty+ years before XPAP, due to CKD, I would get up at least twice every night to use the bathroom - no matter how much or little I drank before bed.

Since CPAP just a year ago, I can count on one hand how many times I've had to use the bathroom during the night.

From what I've read here, CPAP has a positive effect on your organs - as you receive a good supply of air (oxygen), your organs get the rest they need.

Cheers,
xena

[cpaptex]

I'll join the crowd, the day before CPAP 5. Night 1 of CPAP 0. I also didn't toss and turn all night. Just a few times. I've been on my CPAP for just a week, but I'm sleeping very well. I'm still tired, but alot less that before.

[Moat]

Was 3 to 4 times a night for me. Ive only just started on my CPAP and at day 2 I havent had to use the restroom at all during the night.

[Slartybartfast]

Hope the doc has ruled out diabetes. But other than that, one of the commonly remarked upon benefits of being on CPAP therapy is that you'll produce less urine during the night because you will really be sleeping, and not doing the sleep-choke-wake and breathe, then sleep (repeat) thing. The hormone is called ANP atrial natriuretic (natri = sodium; uretic = pee) peptide that scavenges excess sodium from your blood and dumps it into urine which must be gotten rid of. Hence, you pee. ANP is produced in response to stress, high blood pressure, wakefulness. There's another hormone, vasopressin (a.k.a ADH or antidiuretic hormone), that restricts the production of urine while you are asleep. ANP trumps that hormone's action.* So once you are able to breathe normally during sleep on CPAP, ANP will be reduced, allowing vasopressin to do its thing and your kidneys won't make urine, so you won't need to pee so often.

*Same thing occurs when you drink coffee (caffeine) or alcohol. ADH is inhibited, causing you to pee. I only mention that because 30 years ago I had to know that and you've given me the opportunity at long last to make use of that factoid, for which I thank you.