Nocturia
Nocturia, also known as nocturnal micturition, causes a man to wake up during the night to empty the bladder. It is characterized by frequent urination of more than two per night. It is one of the most common lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
When the bladder is not completely emptied, it becomes overfilled and contracts. The contractions cause the urge to urinate even during the wee hours of the night.
Frequent urination at night interrupts an individual’s sleeping patterns and may result in easy fatigability and weakness during the day. For men who experience nighttime urinary frequency and suspect prostate gland enlargement, experts recommend keeping a bladder diary to assess the severity of their condition.
The primary goal of men with nocturia is to reduce bathroom trips to two times per night to ensure undisturbed sleep of more than four hours. Men with benign prostatic hyperplasia may need to take medications such as alpha-blockers and phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors to reduce bathroom trips during the nighttime. In addition, the low nocturnal serum concentration of antidiuretic hormones can be effectively treated with desmopressin, a drug that must be taken shortly before bedtime.
