Questions and Answers Version

Quality sleep is naturally vital to our physical and mental well-being towards a healthy and productive life. Following our information-sharing on matters concerning it, we engage in questions-and-answers series with you, our audience. We thank you immensely for your participation in this interactive aspect of our publication.

Here is an extract from the series for widespread benefit.

Dear Doctor, 

I’m an avid reader of your weekly column “Quality Sleep and Healthy Living with Vitafoam Nigeria Plc.” in the Punch Newspaper. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.

Please, sir, I would like to know the causes of frequent urination at night which disturbs my sleep. And also if I want to take a nap in the afternoon I find it difficult to sleep due to frequent urination. How do I solve the frequent urination and sleep problem?

Thank you in anticipation and I look forward to hearing from you.

K. I.

Dear K. I.

Urination is an integral part of our body’s water system. Most of the human body is water, with an average of roughly 60%. The body water varies among the different body components/organs depending on their individual functions. The brain and kidneys are the body components with the highest percentage of water according to the Canadian BCcampus Human Anatomy and Physiology textbook. In fact, the components in the body with the higher percentages of water are the brain (80-85%), kidneys (80-85%), heart (75-80%), lungs (75-80%), liver (70-75%), muscles (70-75%) and skin (70-75%).

Urination is the process of passing urine through the final passageway in our private parts. Urine is produced in the kidneys and momentarily stored in a temporary urine reservoir called the urinary bladder. Usually, the bladder is able to store urine until it is convenient to go to the toilet, typically four to eight times a day and nil to once during the night. Needing to go more than eight times a day or waking up at night to go to the bathroom is what is considered frequent urination. And this simply means that either you are producing excess urine or the storage pattern is disrupted.

Excess urine production can result from drinking too much water and/or too close to bedtime. Also, conditions and substances that cause kidneys to produce more urine not considering the quantity of body water will cause excess urine. E.g. alcohol, tea and other beverages, drugs, Diabetes Mellitus, kidney diseases, anxiety, etc.

The conditions that disrupt the storage of urine include urinary tract infections, swelling of components in the tummy or prostate disease.

You need to see a doctor who would ask you further questions to get a clear picture of the frequent urination patterns, physically check the body and conduct relevant laboratory tests. This will aid in the identification of the cause(s) and corresponding treatment.

Considering the disturbance of sleep we would be interested if the frequent urination is due to excess water intake or if water is taken close to bedtime. Sleep happens when the human body and the brain are in good condition for the optimal function of the brain’s sleep clock that controls the sleep and the body’s cooperative surrender to the dosing-off. The brain needs adequate water for its functions and it is very sensitive to a slight shortage of total body water because it is one of the body components with the highest percentage of body water. It is advised that adequate body water should be prioritized above the disturbance of sleep. We should by all means maintain adequate water intake throughout the day, avoiding taking it close to bedtime. But if we have a body water deficit close to bedtime, we would pay attention to extra water intake and ignore the sleep disruption. This is because if a brain with adequate water experiences interruptions four times by urination with multiples of two-hour sleep bouts, the brain still wakes up refreshed because the quality of the sleep bouts was maintained by the brain’s adequate water. But if a brain with inadequate water sleeps continuously uninterrupted for about 7hours, the brain will most probably wake up unrested and cranky.

Yours in service,

Dr Charles

Let us remember that when you sleep, where you sleep and how you sleep affect your mental health, physical well-being and living a healthy life. We all need quality sleep to be set for productivity in our endeavours.

Do you need further information on the above subject? Are you looking for ways to maintain quality sleep for general well-being and healthy living? Remember, a doctor is an appropriate person to offer relevant advice for the maintenance of quality sleep and solution to sleep difficulties. Do you want to contact the Orthopaedic Sleep Consultant, Dr Charles Uzodimma, kindly send your request to [email protected] OR Whatsapp 08129982143.

Vitafoam Nigeria Plc is the first foam manufacturing company in Nigeria to partner with a Sleep Expert in educating Nigerians on Quality Sleep for Healthy Living. They are truly passionate about quality sleep, healthy living and the general well-being of Nigerians. Vitafoam is proudly Nigerian and constantly supports Nigerians with consistent quality products for comfort and well-being. With Vitafoam, you don’t just sleep, they give you the comfort that gets you recharged. To learn more about Vitafoam, visit www.vitafoamng.com