- Nocturia is the frequent need to pass water during the night1
- Nocturia is the most common cause of sleep disturbance2
- Up to 80% of people who complain of a disturbed night’s sleep report that nocturia is the main reason they wake in the middle of the night.3
- By not recognising the importance of lost sleep at night due to getting up to go to the toilet, the public may be dismissing the signs of nocturia, and ignoring an important medical symptom.
SAINT PREX, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today is ‘World Sleep Day’ which was initiated by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to acknowledge the importance of a good night’s sleep and the impact of sleep on health and quality of life. Sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life for up to 45% of the world’s population4.
Despite this widespread issue much of the general public may be ignoring key triggers for disturbed sleep – with nocturia being the most common cause for a broken night’s sleep5. Nocturia can be caused by an overproduction of urine at night or an overproduction of urine during the daytime and night time, which leads to having to get up in the night to go and empty the bladder6.
Antonella Giannantoni, Editor of the Nocturia Resource Centre, an online resource intended for international healthcare professionals to increase awareness and knowledge about all aspects of Nocturia, said “We are very pleased that the importance of the impact that nocturia has on sleep is being recognised on World Sleep Day. Despite research clearly showing that nocturia is the most common cause of sleep disturbance, many people still ignore the obvious when it comes to a broken night’s sleep. It is time for the public to wake up to nocturia.”
This continued disturbance has a significant negative impact on our health in both the long and short term7,8,9,10 and can also be a symptom of serious health problems such as: diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease11.
Nocturia is not just isolated to a particular demographic: up to 60% of elderly men and women display symptoms of nocturia, but it can affect all ages as 30% of people over the age of 30 make at least two trips to empty their bladder every night12. By ignoring simple signs such as this, the public are overlooking a problem that will only worsen over time and will continue to have a negative impact on quality of life and health. It is therefore important not to ignore a broken night’s sleep and to visit a doctor if one is having problems with getting up in the night due to the urge to go to the bathroom.
“Nocturia is a serious issue that should not go ignored by the public.” Said Philip van Kerrebroeck, Editor of the Nocturia Resource Centre, “It can affect anyone regardless of age or gender but the good news is that it is treatable. We would therefore encourage anyone who is losing sleep over these symptoms to speak to your doctor as soon as possible. There is no need to suffer in silence.”
Don’t settle for a bad night’s sleep and wake up to nocturia!
Could one be ignoring signs of nocturia? Take a look at these common sleep myths below and find out what to pay attention to:
Myth 1: One can "cheat" on the amount of sleep one is getting.
Truth: A common held belief is that one can catch up on any hours missed during the week by sleeping a few extra hours at the weekend.
Research has shown that one long night of sleep after a prolonged period of decreased sleep, can restore ones performance back to normal levels. However this effect may last as little as 6 hours after waking up. As the day goes on the person’s reaction times become about 10 times slower than what they were earlier in the day, increasing the risk of accidents and errors13.
Myth 2: Insomnia is characterised only by difficulty falling asleep.
Truth: Difficulty falling asleep is one of four symptoms generally associated with insomnia. The others include waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep, frequent awakenings, and waking up feeling unrefreshed. Insomnia can be a symptom of a sleep disorder or other medical or psychological/psychiatric problem, and can often be treated14.
Myth 3: The older one becomes, the fewer hours of sleep one needs.
Truth: While sleep patterns change as we age, the amount of sleep we need generally does not. Older people may wake more frequently through the night and may actually get less night time sleep, but their sleep need is no less than younger adults. Because they may sleep less during the night, older people tend to sleep more during the day, which can affect their quality of life15.
Myth 4: Drinking less water throughout the day, will decrease the times one goes to the toilet at night.
Truth: Drinking enough water every day is crucial to avoiding infections and keeping the body hydrated. Drinking fewer diuretics, like coffee or tea, as well as limiting fluid intake before bedtime, will help lessen the urge to go16.
Myth 5: Going to the bathroom at night isn’t an issue until one has to go more than three times.
Truth: Going to the bathroom once or more a night regularly can be bothersome and is a condition called nocturia17.
- Ends -
About Nocturia
Nocturia can be caused by an overproduction of urine at night or an overproduction of urine during the daytime and night time, which leads to having to get up in the night to go to the toilet18. This is often explained by an abnormal rhythm of the body where large amounts of urine is excreted during sleep.
It can also be caused by external factors such as: excess fluids before bedtime, medications, alcohol, caffeine, or diuretic medications; in rare cases it could also be a symptom of something more serious such as: diabetes, high blood pressure or cardio vascular disease19.
The broken night’s sleep caused by trips to the bathroom also leads to many short and long term health effects. In the short term lack of sleep can have a negative impact on our attention span, memory recall and learning20. Longer term effects are being studied, but poor quality sleep or sleep deprivation has been associated with significant health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and even some cancers21,22,23. Lack of sleep is also related to many psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety and psychosis24,25.
About Ferring Pharmaceuticals:
Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries. To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.
World Sleep Day
World Sleep Day is an annual event to raise awareness of sleep disorders and the burden that they place on society. World Sleep Day 2016 will be held on Friday March 18, 2016.
For more information please visit www.worldsleepday.org.
References
1 Bladder and Bowel Foundation website. Bladder. Bladder Conditions and Symptoms. Nocturia page. [Last accessed March 2016] Available from: https://www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org/bladder/bladder-conditions-and-symptoms/nocturia/
2 Benefield LE. Facilitating Aging in Place: Safe, Sound, and Secure, An Issue of Nursing Clinics. 2014
3 Benefield LE. Facilitating Aging in Place: Safe, Sound, and Secure, An Issue of Nursing Clinics. 2014
4 Wade AG, Zisapel N, Lemoine P. Prolonged-release melatonin for the treatment of insomnia: targeting quality of sleep and morning alertness. Ageing Health 2008; 4 (1): 11-12
5 Benefield LE. Facilitating Aging in Place: Safe, Sound, and Secure, An Issue of Nursing Clinics. 2014
6 National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
7 Orzel-Gryglewska, J. Consequenses of Sleep Deprivation. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010; 23(1): 95-114. doi:10.2478/v10001-010-0004-9
8 Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D et al. Short sleep duration is associated with elevated ghrelin, reduced leptin and increased body mass index. PLoS Med 2004; 1(3): e62
9 Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB et al. Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. Arch Intern Med 2005; 165(8): 863-7
10 Meier-Ewert HK et al. Effect of Sleep Loss on C-Reactive Protein, an Inflammatory Marker of Cardiovascular Risk. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2004; 43(4). doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2003.07.050
11 National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
12 Bosch JL, Weiss JP. The prevalence and causes of nocturia. J Urol 2010 Aug; 184(2): 440-6. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2010.04.011.
13 Cohen DA, Wang W, Wyatt JK, Kronauer RE, Dijk D-J, Czeisler CA, Klerman CA. Uncovering Residual Effects of Chronic Sleep Loss on Human Performance. Science Translational Medicine, Vol. 2, Issue 14, p. 14ra3, 13 January 2010. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000458
14 Sleep Foundation website, What is Insomnia? [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:https://sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/content/what-is-insomnia
15 Vitiello MV. Recent Advances in Understanding Sleep and Sleep Disturbances in Older Adults, Growing Older Does Not Mean Sleeping Poorly. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2009; December: Vol.18. no. 6, 316-320
16 National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
17 Kerrebroeck P van, Abrams P, Chaikin D, Donovan J, Fonda D, Jackson S, Jennum P, Johnson T, Lose G, Mattiasson A, Robertson G, Weis J. The Standardisation of Terminology in Nocturia: Report from the Standardisation Sub-committee of the International Continence Society. Neurourology and Urodynamics. 2002; 00:179-183. doi: 10.1002/nau.10053
18 National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
19 National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed February 2016] Available from:http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
20 Orzel-Gryglewska, J. Consequenses of Sleep Deprivation. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010; 23(1): 95-114. doi:10.2478/v10001-010-0004-9
21 Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D et al. Short sleep duration is associated with elevated ghrelin, reduced leptin and increased body mass index. PLoS Med 2004; 1(3): e62
22 Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB et al. Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. Arch Intern Med 2005; 165(8): 863-7
23 Meier-Ewert HK et al. Effect of Sleep Loss on C-Reactive Protein, an Inflammatory Marker of Cardiovascular Risk. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2004; 43(4). doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2003.07.050
24 Neckelmann D, Mykletun A, Dahl, AA. Chronic Insomnia as a Risk Factor for Developing Anxiety and Depression. Sleep 2007, 30(7): 873-880
25 Petrovsky N et al. Sleep Deprivation Disrupts Prepulse Inhibition and Induces Psychosis-Like Symptoms in Healthy Humans. The Journal of Neuroscience 2014; July, 34(27)-913409140