Nocturia and disturbed sleep in the elderly

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Donald Bliwise, Emory University; Daniel J. Foley, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Michael V. Vitiello, University of Washington; Farzaneh Pour Ansari, Emory University; Sonia Ancoli-Israel, University of California; James K. Walsh, St. Lukes's Hospital
• Language: English
• Date: 2009-05
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2008 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2008.04.002
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Sleep Medicine
• ISSN: 1389-9457
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 540
• End Page: 548
• Grant/Funding Information: National Institutes of Health Grants AG-020269 (to D.L.B); AG-08415 (to S.A-I); MH-001158 (to M.V.V); and the National Sleep Foundation
• Keywords: Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Nocturia; Health Survey; Falls; Aging; Prostatism
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, General; Gerontology

Abstract

Background: Nocturnal urination (nocturia) is such a commonplace occurrence in the lives of many older adults that it is frequently overlooked as a potential cause of sleep disturbance. Methods: We examined the prevalence of nocturia and examined its role in self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality in a survey of 1,424 elderly individuals, ages 55–84. Data were derived from a 2003 National Sleep Foundation telephone poll conducted in a representative sample of the United States population who underwent a 20-minute structured telephone interview. Nocturia was not a focus of the survey, but data collected relevant to this topic allowed examination of relevant associations with sleep. Results: When inquired about in a checklist format, nocturia was listed as a self-perceived cause of nocturnal sleep “every night or almost every night” by 53% of the sample, which was over four times as frequently as the next most often cited cause of poor sleep, pain (12%). In multivariate logistic models, nocturia was an independent predictor both of self-reported insomnia (75% increased risk) and reduced sleep quality (71% increased risk), along with female gender and other medical and psychiatric conditions. Conclusions: Nocturia is a frequently overlooked cause of poor sleep in the elderly and may warrant targeted interventions.