I am confused , about the bathroom and sleep apnea.  I can't seem to find any information on the two topics.  Why do you go more when you are off of the machine versus when you are on?  According to what I am reading on here people say that there bathroom trips have been cut down.  I guess that is the question that I am asking.  Has it got something to do with the amount of apneas you are having a night or what?

sleepyjan wrote:

I am confused , about the bathroom and sleep apnea.  I can't seem to find any information on the two topics.  Why do you go more when you are off of the machine versus when you are on?  According to what I am reading on here people say that there bathroom trips have been cut down.  I guess that is the question that I am asking.  Has it got something to do with the amount of apneas you are having a night or what?

Hi,

I believe that you have 'nocturia' (frequent bathroom trips during the night). It is a symptom of untreated sleep apnoea.

Apparantly the frequent urge to urinate is caused by the secretion of some hormone or other. This secretion is exacerbated by the disrupted sleep pattern (I believe, but might be wrong).

Condition usually improves considerably, or is 'cured' by compliant use of cpap. Obviously if you don't use cpap your nocturia returns.

Daniel


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

My "laymans" understanding of what happens is this.
1. Apnea causes O2 levels to fall drastically.
2. The body responds to protect the brain and vital organs by pumping more blood in an attempt to meet O2 needs
3. As the heart pumps harder, the blood pressure elevates, reaching dangerous levels
4. The body reacts to the elevated pressure by releasing diuretic hormones (ANP) to reduce blood volumne in an attempt to lower blood pressure.
5.  We wake up to urinate.

Well, obviously, I am not a medical professional, but hope this illustrates the importance of using cpap regularly to prevent stroke and heart attacks during sleep.

http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/noct.html

A google search for "apnea+ANP" lists pages of articles

I was told that urine production plummets when you're asleep - a good design, as it prevents us from interrupting our sleep with trips to the bathroom.  Restless sleep interrupts the reduction of urine production (ie, if you keep waking up during the night, your bladder will fill more like you're awake).  So, with OSA, you awaken a lot during the night, so you go to the bathroom more.  
 
My first OSA symptom that disappeared during CPAP therapy was frequent nocturnal urination.  Before CPAP, I got up once or twice a night.  The first night on CPAP, I didn't get up at all!

All these explanations are very good, and accurate.  
It's clear there is a physical factor in nightime visits to the bathroom.

I would only add the psychological one.
So often people wake up frequently during the night, during untreated apnea.  
The apneas, the disruption in sleep and oxygen intake, and those physical reasons for urination all contribute to frequent awakenings.
But often the awakenings are frequent when there is no need for urination.  So often I hear described what was also true for me, that I found at every visit, there was no need for urination.  I would even get confused as to why I was traipsing to the bathroom many times a night, and nothing.  Soon I realized that upon waking up, I just assumed that was my reason, when in fact I was simply waking up due to the sleeping disruptions.  Soon I found myself just sitting up, and gave up taking those trips to the bathroom, realizing it wasn't even necessary.  But I was still confused as to why I kept waking up, that is until later when I learned all about sleep apnea.  

Linda