With aging, the amount of urine produced in the middle of the night increases.
What is Nocturia?
Nocturia is a condition in which you wake up during the night because you have to urinate. As we get older, more and more people suffer from Nocturia. Some study shows, about 60% in the 50s and 80% in the 60s or older are awake more than once during the night.
According to the Western medicine, the causes can include high fluid intake, sleep disorders, bladder obstruction, and decreased function of internal organs. Still, about one-third is due to 'overactive bladder,' which is caused by autonomic nerves disturbed so that the contractile function of the bladder occurs.
Nocturia is also seen among women in the early perimenopausal stage. There might be an association between decreasing estradiol levels and disturbance of autonomic nervous system.
Most of the Nocturia is also "Nocturnal polyuria”. If one-third of the daily urine volume is present at bedtime, it becomes Nocturnal polyuria.
Usually, the amount of urine at night decreases compared to the daytime, but with aging, the amount of "antidiuretic hormone" that reduces the amount of urine at night decreases, and the kidneys' function that concentrate urine declines. As a result, the amount of urine produced in the middle of the night increases.
Massaging back of the calf, knee, and thigh for treatment of Nocturia
Treatment
Treatment of Nocturia by Western medicine includes certain activities, such as restricting fluids or medications that reduce symptoms of overactive bladder. However, there are side effects of using drugs, such as stomatitis and constipation.
Case Treatment by Acupuncture
Clinical manifestations: Nocturia, frequent-pale urination, feeling cold, cold lower back and knees, lower backache, dizziness, tinnitus, exhaustion, nocturnal enuresis in children, incontinence in old people, Impotence, low libido in men, menstrual disorders in women.
Tongue: Pale & Wet. Pulse: Deep-Weak.
Diagnosis: Kidney-Yang deficiency. Treatment principle: Tonify and warm Kidney-Yang, strengthen the Governing Vessel.
Acupuncture Points: BL-23 腎兪, BL-20 脾兪, S.I.-3 後渓 with BL-62 申脈, Du-4 Mingmen 命門(with moxa), Du-20 百会, Ren-6 気海, Ren-4 関元, KI-3 太谿. All with the reinforcing method.
self-treatment
If the cause of Nocturia is an overactive bladder, there are ways to improve it safely at home.
1) “Rubbing the back of the leg" exercise
All you have to do is rub the back of your leg, including the back of the calf, knee, and thigh, where the nerves related to the bladder concentrate. Additionally, according to traditional Chinese medicine, the bladder meridian runs through this area. Please massage slowly and gently for a few minutes with both hands, a tennis ball, or a massage roller. We recommend doing it after taking a hot bath or shower, and after your skin is dry.
By rubbing the back of your leg, you can reset your autonomic nervous system. There are reports among our patients that massage has improved nocturia. One of the patients who was showing menopause symptoms used to wake up twice for urination during the night, but now she only wakes up once after practicing this exercise.
If you are spending time in the same posture - sitting or standing - during the day, the body's water will accumulate in the lower limbs due to gravity. Furthermore, as you age, the ability to circulate blood declines, causing water in your legs to leak from your blood vessels and accumulate in your calves. This leads to Nocturia as well as "swelling feet" at night. Some people call the calf the ”second bladder” because the water they ingest during the day accumulates in the calf. By gently rubbing your calf, you may be able to decrease water accumulation. Additionally, elevating the legs and wearing compression stockings will greatly help prevent fluid accumulation.
2) Warm the bedding before going to bed. It is said that the temperature of the bedding that leads to a good night's sleep is a little lower than your body temperature. Warm your bedding with a Futon dryer or a heated mattress pad. The Futon dryer warms and dries the mattress and comforter by forcing warm air through it.
3) Take a foot bath, a hot bath, or a hot shower before going to bed. You can improve blood flow by soaking your feet in a foot bath with hot water (109.4°F (43 °C)). Or, use a Foot Spa Bath Massager. In the bathtub, make sure to massage your scalp, feet, and the back of your calves to improve blood circulation.
Rub the back of your leg, calf, knee, and thigh for reducing frequent urination