Nocturia - Going to the Toilet at Night in Cantonese

What is nocturia?

Nocturia is when a person has to wake up at night to pass urine. If this happens more than twice a night, it can be a problem.

Nocturia is common in older people. It can cause problems in day-to-day life. It can upset your sleep and put you at risk of falls, if you get up in the dark to pass urine. Also, when you have to wake up, you may not be able to get back to sleep and then you might not function as well through the day. You may sleep in the day and then not be able to sleep well at night. Changes like this to your sleep patterns may even make the problem worse: you may be more aware of your filling bladder and so feel like you need to pass urine more often.

Having to wake up once or more each night to pass urine increases as you age. It has been found that one in two women, and two out of three men, aged 50 to 59 years have a problem with Nocturia. It is even more common as you get older—seven out of ten women, and nine out of ten men, over the age of 80 years have Nocturia.

甚麼是夜尿？

夜尿是指一個人需要在夜間起床排尿。如果這種情況每晚出現超過兩次，就可能有問題。

夜尿常見於老年人，會令日常生活出現問題。它會擾亂你的睡眠，如果在黑夜中起床排尿，亦會令你面臨跌倒的風險。此外，當你必須起床時，就可能無法再入睡，因而於日間可能會精神欠佳。你可能會在日間睡覺，然後夜間無法睡好。睡眠狀況的這種變化甚至可能令問題更嚴重：你可能更加關注填滿尿液的膀胱，因此覺得你需要更加頻繁地排尿。

隨著年齡增大，你每晚必須起床一次或多次去排尿的可能性會增高。已經發現在年齡介乎50歲至59歲的人中，二分一女性及三分二男性有夜尿問題。隨著年齡增大，問題甚至會更加普遍—80歲以上的人中，十分七女性及十分九男性有夜尿問題。

What are the common causes of nocturia?

• common heart and kidney problems;
• swollen ankles;
• taking fluid tablets in the night-time;
• drinking large amounts of fluids, alcohol and caffeine drinks (tea, coffee and cola) before going to bed at night;
• poorly controlled diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2);
• Diabetes Insipidus (a rare hormone problem that causes severe thirst and urine loss);
• changes in position (going from upright in the day to lying flat at night means more blood can flow over the kidneys, so more night-time urine is made);
• upset or over-sensitive bladder (such as a bladder infection);
• overactive bladder (such as after a stroke);
• pregnancy;
• broken sleep, such as going to the toilet just because you are awake; and/or
• constipation or an enlarged prostate can press on the bladder neck and not let the bladder empty right out. This can cause urine to dribble or overflow.

Note: Some people think if they cut down how much water they drink through the day they may cut down on night-time problems. This is not right. Not having enough to drink can cause lack of fluids and constipation. It can also make the urine more concentrated. This can upset the bladder and make you need to go to the toilet more often. Not drinking enough water can also shrink the bladder muscle so the bladder does not hold as much urine, which can make the need to pass urine through the night even worse.

夜尿的常見起因是甚麼？

• 常見的心臟及腎臟問題；
• 踝部水腫；
• 夜晚服食液體藥劑；
• 夜晚睡覺之前飲大量液體，含酒精及咖啡因的飲料（茶、咖啡及可樂）；
• 控制欠佳的糖尿病（1型或2型）；
• 尿崩症（一種罕見的引起嚴重口渴及尿液流失的荷爾蒙問題）；
• 姿勢改變（從日間直立變為夜間平躺意味著更多血液流過腎臟，因此在夜間產生較多尿液）；
• 被擾亂或過度敏感的膀胱 （如膀胱感染）；
• 過度活躍的膀胱 （如中風之後）；
• 懷孕；
• 睡眠中斷，如只因醒來就上廁所；及/或
• 便秘或增大的前列腺壓迫膀胱頸，令膀胱無法全部排空。這會令尿液滴出或溢出。

注意：有些人覺得如果他們減少日間的飲水量，就可以減少夜間出現這種問題，這是不對的。飲水不足會引起缺乏體液及便秘，還會令尿液更濃。這會擾亂膀胱，令你需要更頻繁地去廁所。飲水不足還會令膀胱肌肉萎縮，因此膀胱能儲存的尿量減少，令夜間排尿的需要變得更嚴重。

How do you know if you have nocturia?

You should talk to your doctor if you think you have Nocturia. It may not be a simple health problem.

To find out more about your Nocturia, your doctor may ask you about:

• your past health;
• bladder problems;
• the drugs you take (such as, what time you take your fluid tablets); and
• broken sleep.

你如何知道自己是否有夜尿問題？

如果你覺得自己有夜尿問題就應該告知醫生。這或許不是一般的健康問題。

為了深入瞭解你的夜尿問題，醫生可能會問你關於：

• 過去的健康狀況；
• 有無排尿問題；
• 服用的藥物（例如何時服食液體藥劑）；及
• 是否有睡眠中斷。

Your doctor might also:

• check if you have any of the causes of Nocturia, such as those noted above;
• test your urine for a bladder infection;
• ask you to keep a chart to check:

1. what, when and how much you drink;
2. when and how much urine you pass;
3. when you go to bed and get up; and
4. arrange for tests such as bladder, kidneys, urine, and blood tests.

你的醫生可能還會：

• 檢查你是否有任何夜尿原因，如以上提及的那些；
• 驗尿確定是否有膀胱感染；
• 要求你記錄圖表，檢查：

1. 你喝甚麼，何時喝及喝多少；
2. 你何時排尿及排尿量；
3. 你何時睡覺及起床；以及
4. 安排進行膀胱，腎臟，尿液，及驗血等各種檢查。

How can nocturia be treated?

It is important that any causes of Nocturia get treated or that you are referred to the right specialist.

Some suggested treatments could be:

• cutting back on how much caffeine and alcohol you drink, mainly before going to bed at night;
• checking the times you take fluid tablets;
• wearing support stockings for swollen ankles;
• resting with your legs up, in the afternoon, for a few hours;
• lighting your path to the toilet (such as a night light); and/or
• placing a commode or bright coloured bucket for use at the bedside.

Your doctor may also refer you to a specialist who will discuss other treatments with you. These may be drugs that treat the Nocturia or treat the cause of the problem.

Some of the health professionals you may be referred to can include a continence physiotherapist, continence nurse advisor, urologist or renal physician.

如何治療夜尿？

重要的是﹐無論夜尿的起因是甚麼都需接受治療﹐如有需要必須轉介給合適的專科醫生。

一些建議的治療包括：

• 減少你飲用的咖啡因及酒精量，主要是夜晚睡覺之前；
• 檢查你服食液體藥的時間和次數；
• 踝部水腫需要穿彈力長襪；
• 下午休息時抬高雙腿，保持數小時；
• 照亮去廁所的通道（如夜間照明燈）；及/或
• 在床邊放一個坐便桶或顏色鮮明的便桶。

你的醫生也可能將你轉介給專科醫生，跟你討論其他治療方法。這些方法可能是用藥物治療夜尿或者治療病因。

給你轉介的專業醫護人員可能包括排便理療師，排便科護士，泌尿科醫生或腎臟科醫生。

Seek help

Qualified nurses are available if you call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66* (Monday to Friday, between 8.00am to 8.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time) for free:

• Information;
• Advice; and
• Leaflets.

If you have difficulty speaking or understanding English you can access the Helpline through the free Telephone Interpreter Service on 13 14 50. The phone will be answered in English, so please name the language you speak and wait on the phone. You will be connected to an interpreter who speaks your language. Tell the interpreter you wish to call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66. Wait on the phone to be connected and the interpreter will assist you to speak with a continence nurse advisor. All calls are confidential.

Visit bladderbowel.gov.au or continence.org.au/other-languages

* Calls from mobile telephones are charged at applicable rates.

尋求幫助

如果你致電國家排便節制熱線，有資質的護士會接聽你的電話1800 33 00 66* （週一至週五，澳大利亞東部標準時間8:00am—8:00pm）。

• 信息；
• 建議；及
• 資料單張。

如果你在講英語或者理解上有困難，你可以透過撥打13 14 50獲取免費電話傳譯服務以接通國家排便節制熱線。電話會用英語接通，因此請說明你要講的語言並且不要掛機。你會被連接到一個講你母語的傳譯員。告知傳譯員你想要致電國家排便節制熱線，電話是1800 33 00 66。待電話接通後傳譯員會幫助你與排便節制護理顧問對話，所有的來電均保密。

請登陸：bladderbowel.gov.au或者continence.org.au/other-languages

* 用手機打出會收取相應費用。