Does everyone with OSA or CSA have nocturia?

[elena88]

I was just reading another thread, and it got me wondering.. does everyone with osa or csa have nocturia?

( where you have to get up every two or three hours to urinate during the night. The lack of oxygen causes pressure on your left ventricle of
your heart, and in turn, your body responds to the pressure by making and releasing urine.)


Anyway, do people with mild apnea have nocturia?

Moderate apnea?

Severe apnea?

Or is it something that builds up, the longer you have the apnea, the more likely you are to experience osa no matter if its mild, moderate, or severe.

Even though Im struggling, the five trips to the bathroom at night have turned into one or two.. so this is good news!



How many of you had nocturia when you started cpap, and how many still have it?

How many never had it?

[Sleepy Taz]

Elena,

For the first 18 years I slept through the night I would say about 99% of the time. Then four years ago I developed diabetes and when my blood sugar is high I wake up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom. Just another reason to keep my sugar levels down.

Taz

[djr1215]

I end up going to the bathroom 1 or 2 times a night, but I'm not really sure that it is this -"The lack of oxygen causes pressure on your left ventricle of
your heart, and in turn, your body responds to the pressure by making and releasing urine".
I think it's more that I'm awake and since I'm awake I have to go. I can tell when needing to void is what wakes me up because my dreams turn into long searches for a bathroom. Wherever and whatever I'm doing in my dream I start looking for a bathroom and every one is broken or filthy. That keeps up until I wake up.

[sister]

no! thank goodness, since i started c-pap i never get up to the bathroom at all! that's a big plus for c-pap because i used to get up 4 or 5 times a night! i never have hot flashes at all any more [except in the daytime] which is another plus. so c-pap does have a lot of advantages too!
I recently spent some time visiting my sister and after 4 or 5 nights, she asked me one morning,don't you ever get up at night to use the bathroom? I replied
NOPE!!!!

[Emma47]

Elena,

When I was diagnosed with OSA I had nocturia; I was getting up 3, 4, 5 or more times each night . Since starting CPAP I get up once, sometimes twice. Interestingly, when I get up more (2-3 times) my AHI is slightly higher, although still under 5. There is a definite connection for me. My goal is to sleep through the night without one trip to the bathroom.

[Janknitz]

Nope, I have severe apnea (77 AHI) and didn't get up in the middle of the night to toilet before CPAP.

I would wake at about 4 or 4:30 lie there and think of every negative though possible to think of, but I rarely needed to go to the bathroom.

[kurth83]

I went from twice a night to once per night.

I also had symptoms that mimiced the pain associated with BPH (enlarged prostate) and was told by my urologist it was all in my mind (I felt like a girl getting the "don't worry your pretty little face over it" speech).
I wanted to smack him, as I knew it wasn't in my mind.

Both sets of symptoms are better now.

My Dad (who is something of a blood expert, a PH.D. but not an MD) speculated about why
apnea would act as a diuretic and came up with this:

He thinks the oxygen deprivation also causes CO2 blood levels to go up, causing the blood to go
slightly acidic, and the body reacts by flushing the acidity out in the urine.

[DreamOn]

My sleep apnea is mild/moderate (depends on sleep position). I did have nocturia for many years before CPAP. It stopped one month after starting therapy. Yay!

[newhosehead]

Interesting question, elena. I had read of this symptom so often on this forum. Ididnt have it before treatment (or now) and I am rather sure I had OSA long before it was diagnosed. This will be a interesting thread to follow.

Jeanette

[elena88]

I didnt even know what nocturia was till I went to the sleep doctor!

I thought I was getting old and had to wee a lot!

thanks for the replies, cant wait to see more..

[packitin]

Ladies don't have to worry as much as men do. I had BPH (enlarged prostate) for years, and the nightly trips were pretty routine (I probably had OSA back then and didn't know it). My third operation (down there) did the trick and I usually don't have to go at all.

Incicentally, since you brought up the subject, we had an interesting thing to happen in our city. Nocturia in this case saved an elderly woman's life. A gentleman got out of his car on a deserted (or so he thought) road to "shake the dew off his lilly" so to speak. Suddenly he looked down into a ravine and saw a woman waving at him! Funny! (maybe not to the woman) I am so glad that he came along when he did, even though what he did was techically illegal.
(I must confess that I have broken the law a few times myself)
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/255038

[echo]

Never had it, though I probably had OSA since my teenage years (but possibly earlier)... so I estimate that at the very least I've had OSA for 15 years or so. Perhaps that's not long enough? (said slightly tongue in cheek). But on my PSG I didn't have any desats below 92% so perhaps there's a connection? It's ironic though, during the day I *always* have to go . (been checked for diabetes regularly).

[jdm2857]

Here's what sleepapnea.org has to say about OSA and nocturia:

http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/noct.html

[Sandra]

I was recently diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I think, looking back, that it has been a noticable issue for almost 2 years.
I have for a long time, gone to the bathroom in the night 2-3 times, usually. I figured the usual, overactive bladder, age, weakened pelvic floor, whatever. Well, I've just done my first 2 nights on CPAP. The first night, I didn't get up til like 5am, and that was only because I thought I should since I was awake anyway. lol. Last night, did not have the need to get up til morning! Oh the freedom! (Now I'll just need to rig this thing for camping. )

The comment about hot flashes interested me. I have had issue as well the last few years of night sweats. Not really hot flashes per se, but always a general overheating, sweating, and so on. I did not even think about it til I read above, I did NOT sweat the last two nights! Very curious about that connection. Perhaps another way of the body trying to get rid of the excess liquid from the body, like the nocturia. Interesting!

[Gerald]

Elena.....

If you'll check your BP immediately as you wake needing to pee, I think you'll discover the cause. If I have to go to the john in the middle of the night, it's because of elevated BP. Since I started using the CPAP, my nocturia trips have dropped to almost zero......and my BP is normal.