New Delhi: Frequent urination at night, a condition called nocturia, is common among snorers with obstructive sleep apnea (cessation of respiration during sleep) said Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal Secretary General of IMA. Nocturia is the need to void two or more times each night.
In obstructive sleep apnea, soft tissues at the back of the throat temporarily collapse during sleep causing brief moments in which the patient stops breathing. The disorder can cause daytime sleepiness and can be effectively treated with a breathing device called CPAP that pushes air into the throat to prevent the tissues from collapsing.
Quoting a Japanese study published in the journal Urology by Dr. Yoji Moriyama, Dr Aggarwal said that nocturia is present in 41% of patients with sleep apnea. The risk of nocturia is directly related to the severity of sleep apnea and the association is particularly strong in patients younger than 50 years of age.