Health Remedies: All of these physical conditions, if affecting your sleep, should be reviewed with your doctor. Medical advice and specific medications are useful in many of the physical disorders affecting sleep, in particular those with nocturia. In addition to drugs that are often helpful, those persons should avoid consuming beverages after supper. Nightlights or motion-sensor lights should be installed along the route to the bathroom and the path must always remain unobstructed. PHYSICAL CAUSES There are many physical conditions which can affect sleep. By far the most common interruption to sleep is the need to void. The feeling of a full bladder not only precipitates awakening, the need to get up and go to the bathroom further interrupts a restful night. For some, this may occur only rarely or once a night but for many, it may occur three or four times. The cause is either a problem of increased urinary output, inadequate bladder storage or a combination of both. In women, the most common cause is Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB). This condition is characterized by four symptoms including an urgent feeling to urinate, frequent urination, the urge to urinate at night (nocturia) and sometimes incontinence. For men (although they too can suffer from OAB), nocturia is most commonly caused by enlargement of the prostate gland (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia-BPH). In this condition, there is a non-malignant increase in the size of the gland which lies at the outflow of the bladder. With this enlargement comes an increased resistance to the flow of urine, inability for the bladder to store urine as long and, in most cases, an increasing problem with nocturia. With the urge and necessity to void at night comes the disruption of a sound sleep pattern. In addition, for both men and women the risk of a fall and a fractured hip increases with more night trips to the bathroom. Persons suffering pain from arthritis, back pain, neuritis, Parkinson’s disease, shingles, cancer, menopause, lung disease, indigestion and other disorders frequently complain of sleeplessness. Other disorders such as snoring, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnoea may affect sleep. Restless leg syndrome is a disorder that often, because of unpleasant feelings in the legs, results in a strong need to move one’s legs. This causes poor sleep patterns and daytime fatigue. In sleep apnoea, the gaps in breathing most commonly caused by partial obstruction of the airway during the natural relaxation of the throat muscles during sleep are often witnessed by one’s partner. That finding, along with frequent wakening and snoring, can lead to investigation confirming the diagnosis. These latter two conditions require specific diagnostic tests and can both be treated, usually improving the sleep disorder. CSANews | SUMMER 2017 | 33
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