I'm not getting up to the bathroom during the night!

Rigby · Post by **Rigby** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:48 pm

Can anyone explain to me the reason for fewer trips to the bathroom during the night while using CPAP? If I don't wear my CPAP (I confess, I fell off the wagon for awhile!) I get up AT LEAST twice a night. With my CPAP, I don't get up at all. Another good reason to be a hose-head.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:59 pm

DEPENDS, or you have a waterbed anyway. Really, XPAP allows you to sleep better, and that slows down the plumbing output. It's a chemical thing. Jim

RiverDave · Post by **RiverDave** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:19 pm

My understanding is that when you have higher blood pressure (as occurs with untreated sleep apnea), the body tries to reduce the blood volume by secreting a hormone called atrial natriuretic peptide. The ultimate response from your body is to pee more. When blood pressure is down, the body doesn't secrete the ANP and you can sleep through the night.

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:13 pm

I have a different take on this. I used to get up and go, but I really didn't produce much. I think I went because my brain reasoned that I was awake, I should go so that particular need woudn't wake me again soon. I think I could have tried to go back to sleep without the trip, but logic said, you are up, go....

Just my non medical opinion

Panhandler · Post by **Panhandler** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:56 pm

The two theories I've heard have both been mentioned. One is that when you're truly asleep, your kidneys reduce urine output so that you can sleep longer. Since you never get deeply asleep with OSA, they don't slow down.

The other is that we learn early in life to "take care" of those urges early on, and any time you wake up a little, you check your bladder status.

My experience has me down from 3-4 trips per night pre-CPAP to one.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:55 am

Thanks to all for your answers - I guess it's like most health issues - a little physiological and a little behavior. Having just survived hot flashes and episodes of unexplainable tears, that hormone thing caught my eye, though!

Kharris · Post by **Kharris** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:07 am

Sometimes I think my apnea would wake me up, being menatally foggy,
I would make a trip to the potty, just because I couldn't think of anything else to do.

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:26 am

If you read one of Dr Krakow's topics or his reply to another topic, he explains it similar to what RiverDave did above. It's a chemical thing.

Mindy

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:29 am

I too think RiverDave has the more correct explanation.

LyleHaze · Post by **LyleHaze** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:41 pm

I'm not a doctor, but I have an explanation that makes sense to me:
During each apnea event, our body is jolted with adrenaline, to get us breathing again.
Adrenaline has many side effects on the body, including an involuntary "fight or flight" response. Part of that response is to empty the bladder, as whichever you choose (fight or flight) you'll do it better with an empty bladder.
Once the apnea events stop, the adrenaline is no longer our constant bedpartner, and we can then resume using the capacity of the bladder as it was intended.

Since starting CPAP, I sleep through the night without needing the john, but I had better get there pretty quick once I wake up!

That's my completely uneducated theory, anyway.

Lyle

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:16 pm

I feel I can really testify to the power of cpap on this topic! During my last pregnancy I was miserably getting up every couple of hours to pee from very early on to the very end.

This time, I'm more than half way thru and I RARELY get up even once to pee. I still wake up and have to change position a couple of times a night due to pregnancy aches and pains but the urge to go IS NOT THERE. I would have to say that is chemical! Prior to my last pregnancy I was never one to get up at night for potty breaks. Went before bed and first thing upon waking and everything in between was allllllll sleeping!

God willing, this baby will not be jumpy, colicky and have trouble sleeping like my first. Those fight or flight chemicals had to play a roll in his early development. He is fine now, a very bright happy child who gets a bit emotional at times like any other child, but in those early months of life he was a handful. And I breastfed him for a year, so I was probably still giving him those chemicals thru my milk because I definintely had apnea then. He actually did calm down quite a bit after I weaned him and switched to formula at a year. Hindsight is 20/20! Never underestimate the power of these neurochemicals that regulate our bodies! I wish I had been diagnosed before that pregnancy, but what can you do? It is a blessing that I have been now. I'll take that.

Jen