Treatment of nocturia in the elderly
Nocturia is a common syndrome in the elderly, having to wake up many times in the middle of the night interrupts sleep, causes fatigue and affects the quality of life. Why do the elderly often suffer from nocturia, how to limit it?
Nighttime sleep plays a very important role in health. The nighttime sleep cycle is to restore health and balance the human endocrine system.
Normally, a healthy person will urinate about 8 times/day, including 7 times during the day and 1 time at night with the amount of urine equivalent to 300 ml each time. If having to urinate many times at night causing sleep disruption, it is called nocturia syndrome.
Causes of nocturia in the elderly
- Nocturnal polyuria (accounting for 70%): due to the brain reducing both ADH production and ADH quality, and the kidneys are also less sensitive to ADH, causing the kidneys to increase urine discharge to the bladder, the bladder quickly becomes full, forcing the patient to wake up to urinate.
- Urinary diseases: prostate enlargement, bladder neck stenosis, causes of overactive bladder.
- Other diseases: heart failure, diuretic use, sleep apnea...
- Bad habits: drinking water, eating soup a lot at night, using diuretic drinks at night such as alcohol, beer, tea, coffee...
Nocturia in the elderly has negative effects on health
- Insomnia: insomnia lasting from day to day quickly erodes the patient's health, reduces resistance, many patients suffer from physical weakness, nervous breakdown, and even mental disorders.
- 1.5 times higher mortality rate due to stroke: cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, traumatic fall, femoral neck fracture. The reason is that when waking up at night, all organs are less active, the senses are less sensitive, due to sudden changes in temperature in bed and outside, due to loss of body heat through urination...
- Causing insomnia for loved ones due to waking up to urinate.
How to overcome nocturia in the elderly?
When suffering from nocturia, patients need to determine the cause of nocturia in order to improve this condition. For the group of organic causes of nocturia, specialists will treat the disease to reduce the symptoms of nocturia. In cases where nocturia is due to functional impairment, patients should proactively adjust their living habits such as:
- Give up the habit of drinking a lot of water, alcohol, coffee or tea in the evening;
- Increase green vegetables and fiber, reduce eating soups with diuretic ingredients such as cabbage, squash, gourd... at dinner.
- Don't eat too much meat or too salty food.
- Limit eating fruits that contain a lot of water such as watermelon, grapefruit, oranges... before going to bed.
- Avoid excessive anxiety and stress leading to insomnia
- Make a habit of urinating before going to bed and at the same time every day.
If you have nocturia, the elderly should note that when waking up to urinate, you should sit up slowly, wait until you are awake before getting out of bed to avoid a stroke. In case there is no private toilet, the elderly should prepare a potty in the house, avoid urinating outdoors at night, especially when it is cold.
