A recent study done by researches of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has found that it is sleep apnea, which is awakening the men in the middle of the night, but not the enlarged prostate.

The researchers have found out that a prominent number of men, who are suffering with benign prostate enlargement (BPE), may also have obstructive sleep apnea. It is actually, with the reason of sleep apnea, these patients wake up in the middle of sleep and feel like urinating.

Few randomly picked 55 to 75 years men who are BPE diagnosed patients, who faced nocturic episodes at least once during sleep in night, were compared by the researchers of the study. BPE diagnosed men with no nocturia episode in sleep during night were not compared.

In the recent Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine publication, it is stated that researchers of BGU have found out that 57.8% of men who are diagnosed of benign prostate enlargement, may also be the patients of sleep disorders. It is also stated that, the BPE patients urge for urinate during night is mainly due to sleep disorders, but not due to BPE.

Nocturia, which is the urge to wake up from the sleep in night and to urinate, is the most common symptom of benign prostate enlargement. Whereas the sleep disorder, Obstructive sleep apnea is abnormal pauses in breathing during sleep, which results in snoring, awakening in between of sleep and daytime sleepiness.

One researcher of BGU’s Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Howard Tandeter has explained that “If nocturia severity in BPE patients is actually a pre-existing sleep disorder, this can now be treated and help improve patients’ quality of life”. He is recommending the physicians who are treating BPE diagnosed patients reporting of urge for urinating in night, to suspect possible cause of this situation as obstructive sleep apnea and treat the patients accordingly.

Dr. Howard Tandeter also explained that even in the patients who are facing the problem nocturia, it is most certainly sleep apnea may be source of this situation. So, these patients should be diagnosed with sleep disorders, whenever they complaint about nocturia as the treatment for the problem is possible.

Source: Ben-Gurion University