Constipation and CPAP?

allchokedup wrote:I've been going nuts trying to figure out why I have to get up to pee 3-4 times/night and have loose urgent stools at 4 or 5 am........ Can you share any more about this?

Have no idea about the loose stools thing but nocturia is a common symptom of sleep apnea.
Google "nocturia and sleep apnea"

The short version is this.
There is a stress hormone called ANP or Atrial natriuretic peptide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_na ... ic_peptide
and when we have apnea events the heart gets stressed so it produces a bunch of ANP and dumps it into the blood stream. When the ANP loaded blood gets to the kidneys to get filtered the kidneys react by working harder and when kidneys work harder they produce more urine....and then we get a full bladder and have to go empty it.

I used to have nocturia really bad before I started cpap therapy. Would have to get up every 1 to 2 hours to pee with a painfully bull bladder each time.
Once I started cpap therapy....the nocturia went away immediately. Even if I never felt any of the other benefits from effective sleep apnea treatment...the absence of the nocturia alone was well worth it.

For me the nocturia went away the first night. If that was all my APAP did to me I was sold on it, happily it does lots more for me. I have only missed 1 night since I started treatment, and that night nocturia was back and every 2 hrs the rest of the night. For that one night I would have been better off going without sleep than try to sleep without my machine.

rohdej wrote:For me the nocturia went away the first night. If that was all my APAP did to me I was sold on ....

+1

cands wrote: . . . I used to have to drink 3 or 4 glasses of water in the morning to re-hydrate. Now I just drink 'normally'. . . .

This could be the problem. Drink more water even if you're not thirsty.

D.H. wrote:

cands wrote: . . . I used to have to drink 3 or 4 glasses of water in the morning to re-hydrate. Now I just drink 'normally'. . . .

This could be the problem. Drink more water even if you're not thirsty.

why don't you quit posting your ignorance?

D.H. wrote:

cands wrote: . . . I used to have to drink 3 or 4 glasses of water in the morning to re-hydrate. Now I just drink 'normally'. . . .

This could be the problem. Drink more water even if you're not thirsty.

I agree with this. I drink 3 - 4 glasses of water in the morning first thing whether I'm thirsty or not. Water helps your body process what you've had to eat and to move things along. A change in diet like this can cause a change in how and when things come out.

Also, a lot of things people think are high fiber aren't that high. Look at labels or search online for fiber content of the fruits and vegetables you eat the most. I try to get whole grain bread with at least 6g fiber per slice. I also eat raisin bran and apples, both high fiber foods.

Doing this I have no problems at all with constipation.

Lack of dietary fiber is possibly the most common factor in constipation.
It is also the easiest to remedy.
Add fiber to your diet--but GRADUALLY. And drink extra water--they work together.
Going from very little to a lot of fiber can be unpleasant, so do it carefully.
Both supplements and high fiber foods are effective, but the foods provide additional nutrition,
and satisfy the appetite. Google high fiber foods, and eat the ones you LIKE.
Take a clue from the Klingons--prune juice is a drink of warriors.

I too faced severe constipation when I started CPAP therapy, two years ago. There is no proper solution for this CPAP side effect. I contacted number of GPs. Sleep specialists. But no proper solution. I did colonoscopy. Report was normal. I drank number of Litres of fluid and had regular Serial brekkies. But there was no use. Dehydration was so strong.
Finally I had to try, trial and error method as I was very badly suffering with the saviour constipation. Now it seems I am ok.
Constipation occurred due to air entering in to the bowels. Due to the high air pressure it happened. So we cannot stop it completely. But we can control it and get rid of constipation.
It is a win-win deal. Had to balance Sleep Apnea and the constipation. Long term constipation is very bad for the old aged. It can lead in to hernia and number of other dangers situations.
So what I did was, reduced the CPAP air pressure, till my constipation come down to the tolerable state. I did it gradually. First day I reduced 0.2cm H2O, and watched for the result two days. Then another 0.2cm H2O and again watched for the result another two days. Finally I had to reduce 1cm H2O, to get rid of constipation. Also I increased the humidity level up to 5. Also sleep turning to left or right side. So reduction of air pressure will not affect so much.
What it is about lying on your back that makes apnea worse compared with lying on your side? Research suggests it’s because when you’re on your back, gravity causes the soft palate and base of the tongue to slacken and collapse into the rear of the throat, which can make breathing difficult in some people.
My recommended pressure is 13.4cm H2O and now I am using with 12.4cm H2O. this pressure is balancing the Apnea and the constipation. Now the constipation is under control, with serial brekkie and the more fluid drinks.
Hope this will help you all.

Good for you for continuing to try and find answers and ... finding them . It's interesting also because a problem so many here have is aerophagia, and what often helps is just reducing the pressure by 1-2 cms... maybe more needs to be learned about the GE connection here and not just the respiratory or neuro. ones. And maybe we should consider, even if it sounds weird at first, that we're not all alike and can have unexpected symptoms (with odd answers) that shouldn't be immediately laughed off or scorned, or some other explanation immediately proposed because it worked in the past for someone else.

+1 here.....constipation started for me after couple of weeks of using.....it is very frustrating.....I do plenty of water, fiber etc, but no luck.....it sucks as I can feel the air going down the whole digestive tract when using cpap......

I'm a new cpap user also. I was regular and now have constipation issues. It is a question of moisture in the colon for sure. I have taken care of the lack of moisture in the colon with cod liver oil capsules that you can find anywhere. At times I need one at night. Other times one in the morning and one at night. Drinking more water won't take care of this problem, although it's important for your health. The capsules do help lubricate the colon and if you can put a stool in your bathroom, prop your feet on it about 8" elevation it will also help you move. Hope this helps. Hope this helps.

I meant to add on my post regarding the stool and elevating your feet, to bend your knees. If you Google that you will find interesting information about how much that helps with colon health and the ability to move.

Again, FIBER!
It is just that simple.
And DRINK THAT WATER--your body NEEDS it.

I think our bodies try to get back to normal with Cpap and before they tried to equalize the abnormal. I had episodes of diarrhea before Cpap and constipation after I started. I was concerned enough to get my colonoscopy which was normal. I don't remember when but before long my body adjusted and became regular again where I no longer have to worry about the constipation or diarrhea. Here is a link to an article by Dr. Park on sleep apnea and GI problems. http://doctorstevenpark.com/5-ways-slee ... l-problems