What is nocturia?

How does nocturia occur?

Nocturia can be due to different factors:

• Production of more quantity of urine than usual, is the so-called polyuria.
• That urine production is more abundant at night, nocturnal polyuria.
• That the bladder has a lower capacity than it needs to store the urine produced at night, is the low capacity of the bladder.
• Combination of nocturnal polyuria and low bladder capacity, mixed polyuria.
• Other causes of sleep interruption, many people wake up at night go to the bathroom even if the sensation of urination is not the cause.

What are the causes of polyuria?

• The most common cause of polyuria is very high fluid intake.
• The insulin-dependent or that requires a treatment with diet and drugs usually gives a polyuria.
• diabetes insipidus or diabetes of pregnancy also often leads to polyuria.

What are the causes of nocturnal polyuria?

• The abundant intake of liquids in the afternoon-night accompanied by the intake of substances that promote urination, such as coffee, caffeinated drinks or alcohol.
• Taking certain medicines that increase urine production such as diuretics and some medicines for heart problems and for psychiatric problems.
• Congestive, at night and in a lying position, it is possible to carry a greater amount of blood to the kidneys than during the day and therefore they are better able to filter urine.
• The one that leads to swelling of the legs during the day and being lying down at night favors the reabsorption of the accumulated fluid in the lower extremities, which the kidneys must then eliminate.

What are the causes of low bladder capacity?

• Bladder obstruction
• , the compression exerted by the uterus on the bladder leaves less room to distend and therefore must be emptied more frequently.
• Urine infection, .
• Interstitial cystitis.
• Bladder cancer.

How is nocturia diagnosed?

Above all, the doctor must take a good medical history with family and personal history, know the time of evolution of nocturia, if there was a trigger or it began gradually, lifestyle habits ... Sometimes you will need a physical examination or an imaging test to rule out some of the possible causes, as well as an or of.

Frequently, a record will be requested that includes the number of times to urinate, the amount that is urinated each time, the medications taken, the diet, the fluid intake, which ones and in what quantity ... with all this the doctor can rule out whether the cause is simply because of the lifestyle or not.

Treatment

The treatment of nocturia is very different depending on the cause that produces it. It can range from a change in lifestyle, in the intake of fluids, in the hours of taking some medications, in the intake of coffee, alcohol ... Sometimes the elevation of the lower extremities and the use of stockings will be recommended compression to prevent fluid retention in the legs.

In other cases, the taking of some drugs will be indicated to reduce the symptoms of an overactive bladder, diabetes will be treated or its control will be improved, with treatment with oral antidiabetic drugs or with insulin, a possible urine infection will be treated with antibiotics ... Other times when there is a physical problem such as an obstruction or a mass in the bladder, surgical treatment must be performed.