Peeing all Night

I had heard that SA and the oxygen levels caused the body to rid itself of the toxins by increased bladder output and thus the more peeing during the night.

But the real kicker is during my first sleep study I got a really bad case of overactive nervous (I'm assuming) bladder, having to get up EVERY HOUR with a completely full bladder. Needless to say I don't think my results were of much use in diagnosing my condition, as far as number of episodes, stages of sleep and other factors, but my oxygen levels did go down to the 80s.

Interesting to run across this thread today. Last night was my first night on CPAP and it went well, I hope it continues like this. I slept through the night for the first time in ten years.

For many years now I have been up to pee 4 to 6 times a night. I always thought it was a prostate issue. I've tried flomax and saw palmetto and several other things. Nothing worked at all. In fact, one of my biggest concerns in getting on CPAP was how I would deal with putting on the mask over and over again all night after getting up to pee. I woke up this morning after sleeping through the night and I could not figure out why I had not had to pee like usual. So I checked out this board and found this thread. It is interesting to see that it may well be the sleep apnea that is the cause of the peeing, and that if I am sleeping well I may not need to get up at all. This concept had never once occurred to me before today.

This also makes me a little sad because I am thinking that my poor old dad struggled with these same issues for 25 years and no one ever even mentioned sleep apnea. Poor guy.

I'm glad my wife kicked my ass long enough and hard enough until I finally got diagnosed for apnea. Left to my own devices I know I never would have.

Rhino,
I too got up multiple times (3-4) during the night to pee for at least the past 10 years (I'm 34), and was much relieved and surprised when I read this thread. Since I started using the cpap machine (about 3 months now) I cant remember even one time getting out of bed at night to pee or anything else for that matter. I too was also concerned at first about having to take the mask on and off all night.

Plastic Rhino wrote:Interesting to run across this thread today. Last night was my first night on CPAP and it went well, I hope it continues like this. I slept through the night for the first time in ten years.

For many years now I have been up to pee 4 to 6 times a night. I always thought it was a prostate issue. I've tried flomax and saw palmetto and several other things. Nothing worked at all. In fact, one of my biggest concerns in getting on CPAP was how I would deal with putting on the mask over and over again all night after getting up to pee. I woke up this morning after sleeping through the night and I could not figure out why I had not had to pee like usual. So I checked out this board and found this thread. It is interesting to see that it may well be the sleep apnea that is the cause of the peeing, and that if I am sleeping well I may not need to get up at all. This concept had never once occurred to me before today.

This also makes me a little sad because I am thinking that my poor old dad struggled with these same issues for 25 years and no one ever even mentioned sleep apnea. Poor guy.

I'm glad my wife kicked my ass long enough and hard enough until I finally got diagnosed for apnea. Left to my own devices I know I never would have.

Sleep apnea as a diagnosis wasn't around until the late 60's. The whole field of sleep medicine is (in medical terms) relatively new. Even today the average physician gets only about 2 hours of training in sleep medicine in all 4 years of med school -- and the med student probably slept through the class!

I saw a newspaper column by a medical doctor (Dr. Gott) the other day answering a question about frequent nightime urination. He never gave a hint that sleep apnea could be a possibility. Of course he also once hinted that anyone with apnea was alcoholic, so I don't believe a word he says about ANYTHING.

This is one of those unknown symptoms!

Good luck with your sleep!

it might be considered too that the apnea woke you up in the first place, and once awake the brain thinks, oh i must have to pee. HAbit forms and volia the peeing seems to become the cause and not the symptom...

i think apnea is so hard to daignose becuase all of it's componant symptoms look like other things until they are all stacked upon each other, usually after the other things have been diagnosed and proved to be wrong.

It's strange that a doctor would hint that sleep apnea is caused by drinking too much. I've never had an alcoholic driink in my life and I'm 53 and have sleep apnea. I wonder why most doctors absolutely refuse to consider sleep apnea as a cause for a lot of maladies. I had severe chronic back pain and fatigue and weight gain. Most doctors that Iwent to tol me that I was a neurotic overweight female and the only thing that would help would be to lose weight. I had a terrible time trying to lose weight too. The doctors just said that I wasn't exercising will power. My snoring was so bad that I kept my husband up most of the night and what little time I could get to sleep, he was always punching me in the back and waking me up. I finally suggested that we sleep in separate bedrooms after our youngest child left home. I went on a trip with my sister last spring and we shared a hotel room. Her husband had been disagnosed with sleep apnea 5 years earlier. She woke we up in the middle of the night and said I had sleep apnea a lot worse than her husband did and go to a doctor and get a sleep study done and not to take "no" for an answer. I went to my family physican and told him and he sent me to an ENT. The ENT said he didn't think I needed a sleep study. It was just a weight problem. I didn't look like somebody with sleep apnea because I looked young for my age and most people with sleep apnea look old and tired. I insisted anyway and did a sleep study. They sleep techs woke me up after 3 hours and said I had a severe case of sleep apena (82 episodes in an hour). They put me on cpap and I required a pressure of 12. I've been on cpap since November and feel a good bit better although I still get sleepy sometimes in the afternoon. I also have lost 18 pounds without even trying! And to think, my family doctor didn't really want to do a sleep study. He wanted to put me through blood sugar testing, etc. Why are they so resistant to the idea of sleep apnea? Maybe they want you to get sicker and sicker. I don't know. I'm just greatful to my sister for telliing me about it.

Oh, and the reason I was on this thread anyway is because I had to go to the bathroom about 4 or 5 times a night before cpap and I only have to go once a night now and could really skip that too if I wanted to. I just go because I can sleep later if I want to.

Tater Pie

Last note, my back doesn't hurt anymore either. I had a slipped disc in my back for over 3 years and it gave me a great deal of pain. The doctor said the only thing that would help was surgery and losing weight. Well, it may just be a coincidence, but my back stopped hurting over a month ago. I don't know what sleep apnea could have had to do with it but I'm not questioning it. I just know it doesn't hurt anymore. Maybe losing the 18 pounds did the trick. I don't know. I'm just glad the pain is gone.

Tater Pie

tater pie wrote: I didn't look like somebody with sleep apnea because I looked young for my age and most people with sleep apnea look old and tired.

I'm 34 and have been on cpap for 3 months now. I can recall girlfriends from as far back as when I was 21-22 years old telling me how I would stop breathing and then gasp for air multiple times during the night. My mother can even recall times I did it as a teenager. It wasnt untill the all the time being tired effect from sleep apnea made me see a doctor. I wont be surprised if the average age of the new pap user declines rapidly every year as more and more people become aware of sleep apneas symptoms and dangers.

LarryJ wrote:My mother can even recall times I did it as a teenager.

Lucky you I'm cutting back on my posting here, or I'd feel compelled to ask what you were doing sleeping with your mother...

Liam, but you can call me Oedipus.

Mathurine wrote:it might be considered too that the apnea woke you up in the first place, and once awake the brain thinks, oh i must have to pee. HAbit forms and volia the peeing seems to become the cause and not the symptom...

I would believe this but there are still times now and then where I wake at night on the cpap and have no urge to pee, all I do is just roll over adjust my mask and go back to sleep. Whrere prior to cpap everytime I woke up I got up to pee. There was a week where I kind of gave up on the mask (untill I found the right one) and went right back to peeing around 4 times a night.

Liam1965 wrote:

LarryJ wrote:My mother can even recall times I did it as a teenager.

Lucky you I'm cutting back on my posting here, or I'd feel compelled to ask what you were doing sleeping with your mother...

Liam, but you can call me Oedipus.

LOL! I snore so loud when I gasp for air that you could hear me in the next state.

Chin up Liam, I feel your pain. YOU WILL OVERCOME THIS

Went to MD this morning. Asked her if she thought the peeing thing was related to anything else, like having kids. She said no, it is completely related to the sleep apnea and will eventually improve with time.

Horray!!!

Has your blood sugar been checked? Sleep apnea can change hormone and chemical levels in your body, stressing it out. Sometimes this can lead to developing diabetes. One symptom of diabeters is peeing more. If you have a friend with diabeters might ask if can check on their glucometer.

sharonokc wrote:Has your blood sugar been checked? Sleep apnea can change hormone and chemical levels in your body, stressing it out. Sometimes this can lead to developing diabetes. One symptom of diabeters is peeing more. If you have a friend with diabeters might ask if can check on their glucometer.

This is a valid concern, but I think not something to get overly concerned about, unless you have other risk factors (like family history).

As has been said by lots of people, although the mechanism isn't fully understood, the process of rousing towards consciousness from sleep causes the body to "need to pee", what has been referred to on here as the "While you're up" reflex.

Whether it's an actual "Let's purge", or whether it's a reflexive want that doesn't really reflect much in the bladder doesn't matter.

I'd never suggest someone who feels they have risk factors for diabetes NOT get checked, but if your frequent urination happens only at night and not during the day, and you have no other risk factors, don't let this be the one more thing that prays on your mind and keeps you from sleeping.

Liam, Urine Expert. Clearly, the Prince of Pee. Executive of Elimination. Wizard of Wiz.