Age Tends To Increase Night Bladder Activity



Dear Dr. Donohue: I feel very healthy -- no complaints, except I have to get up every night once or sometimes twice to empty my bladder. Is there any way to prevent this? I am 75 years old. -- Anon.

Dear Anon.: Older people produce more urine during the night than they do during the day. During the day, people are up and about. In the vertical position, gravity draws fluid from the circulation and the fluid seeps into body tissues. The seepage is greater as one grows older. When an older person lies down in bed for a night of sleep, the fluid in tissues oozes back into the circulation. The kidneys think that too much fluid floods the circulatory system. To rectify the situation, the kidneys make more urine.

Wear compression stockings during the day. They cut down on daytime fluid seepage and nighttime urination.

Nocturnal urination for men most often comes about from an enlarged prostate gland. The gland does not permit complete bladder emptying. Therefore, a small amount of new urine fills the bladder and sends a signal for prompt urination. Big prostates sometimes yield to medicine but almost always yield to surgery.

Bladder muscles that contract for no good reason are another source of nighttime and daytime trouble. Detrol, a prescription medicine, can often calm twitchy bladder muscles.

Ask the doctor about DDAVP nasal spray. It's a synthetic hormone that slows urine production. It is sometimes useful for eliminating nocturnal bathroom sleep interruptions. Not everyone can use this. DDAVP causes water retention and can create more serious problems than nighttime urination.

Finally, don't drink caffeine or alcohol after 5 p.m. They promote urine production.

Dear Dr. Donohue: My daughter is 5. She lives with two heavy smokers in a small apartment. Her clothes and hair reek of cigarette smoke. She has numerous ear infections and sore throats. I am very concerned. I would like your input. -- M.H.

Dear M.H.: You have every right to be concerned. Children subjected to secondhand cigarette smoke have more than the usual number of colds and ear problems. Furthermore, the secondhand smoke lays the seeds for artery hardening and heart disease in the future.

If smokers willingly and knowingly accept the consequences of cigarette smoking on their own health, I can back off. I encourage you not to back off when it comes to protecting your daughter's health. Let those smokers know that their habit is a form of child abuse, no matter how unintentional it might be.


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