Helping Men Who Have Nocturia

Nocturia, many men have it but don’t know this is what it’s called. Nocturia is waking up during the night to go to the bathroom more than once a night. In older men, this is often caused by benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), an enlarged prostate.

While nocturia itself may not be too bothersome for some people, it can have serious effects on quality of life on others. For example, the constant waking up may cause excessive fatigue during the day, which can lead to accidents. As well, elderly men who get up to go to the bathroom are at risk of falling from several factors, such as walking in the dark, hurrying to avoid an accident, taking other medications that may slow their reflexes if they slip, and so on.

Some men get relief of the symptoms of BPH with medications, but others don’t, so they must learn ways to cope with nocturia. A study done in Atlanta, GA, and published in the July issue of BJU, has found that there are ways to help men with this problem.

The researchers found that men who participated in a behavioral intervention program (advice on how to change their lifestyle) were able to improve not only how much they slept, but the actual quality of sleep.

The interventions included teaching the men about limiting the amount of caffeine and alcohol they consumed, as well as limiting how much fluid they drank in the evening and at night. The men were also taught about sleep hygiene, which involves ensuring the bedroom is best suited for sleeping from the room temperature to the sounds and noise.

In addition to the lifestyle changes, medical intervention (medications) were used when appropriate to manage the medical causes for the nocturia.

The study lasted 4 weeks and most of the men reported that they were sleeping better.

~~~~

Photos courtesy of PhotoXpress.com