Disturbed Sleep, Dehydration & Urination

[AdamJames]

@AdamJames apologies if you’ve already mentioned this but are you on statins as they can cause sleep disturbance? Unfortunately I can help you re the thirst but hope it soon gets sorted

No, not on statins. Thank you.

 

[AdamJames]

I find that when I consume a lot of protein during a day or when fasting I wee a lot more. Are you eating a lot of protein or not eating enough fat. Additionally are you getting enough salt in your diet? You body will pee lots to keep your salinity at an acceptable level. Just thoughts

Re possibly overeating protein or not eating enough fat, that's definitely something for me to look into, since all I was focusing on when this started was getting carbs low enough to avoid big spikes. I wasn't paying attention to macronutrient balances at all and wasn't aware of the importance at the time. I will have been having plenty of fat from eggs, nuts, meat etc but no idea if it was enough. In fact I've never gone through a single day recording macronutrient amounts, I just eat what seems satisfying while paying attention to carbs. I'll be paying more attention to this in the next week or so as I'm about to change my diet to very low carb, lots of meat, eggs, butter & low-carb veg & nuts, and I want to get it right this time.

Re salt, I *think* I am, generally. When this first started and I quickly read up on what happens during ketosis, I did increase salt amounts, got some low-sodium salt for the potassium, and got some magnesium supplements as well as multi vitamins & minerals. One night when it was really bad I actually put a teaspoon of low-sodium salt in water and drank it in desperation. It made it worse as far as it's possible to tell, which made me think my salt levels were okay before I did that.

Thank you.

 

[AdamJames]

I had a water deprivation test in May to rule out suspected diabetes insipidus (where the body is unable to concentrate urine). I was drinking and passing huge huge volumes of fluid, starting the previous August.

Aside from now knowing that I do not having diabetes insipidus, I am none the wiser, except to put it down to 'Snapsy really likes to drink.' The problem has lessened, although I still drink more than 5l a day (better than the 10-13l I was consuming at the onset of the problem.

Factors that are likely to have contributed to my issue:
Increased exercise
Increased salt intake
Raging kidney infection that had me off work weak as a kitten for 3 months
Switching to a lower carb lifestyle
A fondness for diet ginger beer (I love that stuff)
Ditto sugar-free squash! I love the taste of the stuff I drink

My blood sugars were not in the ballpark to cause either the polydipsia and polyuria I was experiencing - I'm rarely out of the ideal range.

My endocrinologist pointed out four things cause polydipsia and polyuria:
Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
Diabetes insipidus
An excessive alcohol consumption habit
Psychological factors - ie 'I just like drinking'

There are likely to be other factors too, I would think - but these are the four he was looking at in my case. The only one of the four that applies to me is the fourth.

@AdamJames has anyone asked you to collect and measure your output? Might be worth talking to them about DI - it's a very rare condition but very treatable, I gather.

Love Snapsy

Great info, thanks.

No, nobody has suggested measuring output. I'm going to do that, however. I think sleep deprivation is a big enough quality of life issue that that would be a great stat to add to my spreadsheet along with morning blood glucose: how much did I pee at night, and if it's increased or decreased recently, what had I been doing in previous days? That could help me get to the bottom of this. I love collecting data but I'd never have thought of that, thank you! Now to re-purpose the jug in the bathroom, which does happen to be a measuring jug! I should probably put a label on it to avoid mishaps

Re exercise, it did occur to me that the vast majority of my exercise has been done late, from 7-9 often, and plenty of times I'll be out walking and get back at midnight. Combine that with the fact I seem to get ketones in my urine only overnight. I had thought of this recently and I'm going to try exercising much earlier whenever I get the chance.

Thank you.

 

[Patsuiter]

Just a thought...there is an associated autoimmune disorder called sjorgen's syndrome which causes extreme dryness of eyes and mouth among other symptoms ...my daughter who was only 36 when diagnosed with both.

 

[EasyHeart]

Kia ora, that sounds a very frustrating and worrying situation some people experience. When all physical reasons have been discounted I think it can be helpful to consider the mind body connection. Health anxiety is a very common experience when living with a long term condition. Anxiety causes dry mouth, leading to over drinking and polyurea. If you have interrupted sleep it can increase hypervigilence that disturb sleep further, leading to a constant low level, but disruptive, nocturnal anxiety state and the cycle repeats. Random episodes of rapid heart rate is also a common feature. You could try treating the dry mouth first, which might mean you then feel less like you need to drink, thus reducing need for urination. This could quieten the whole cycle. I have used a product called Biotene, a glycerine based solution available via dentists or chemist, you rinse or spray it around your mouth it provides a comfortable coating. At the same time try some gentle, mindful, reassurance to tell your body everything is ok and it's ok to rest/sleep now. If you have experienced a response that has been triggered by anxiety (a natural psychological- biological phenomenon) it is likely to abate within a few days. Works for daytime snoozers who get a dry mouth too.

 

[Tophat1900]

What will make me get up a lot more to pee at night is too much protein, especially late at night. In particular, a snack before bed that is high protein or just protein. I don't do that anymore. If I do snack because I'm hungry before bed, it's a low protein high fat snack. Just a thought....

 

[kitedoc]

Hi @AdamJames, Looking at www.nhs.uk - Health A-Z - diabetes insipidus
- kidney related causes: long term prescription of lithium; prescription of one of several anti-viral medication; severe kidney infection; blocking of the ureter, the tube leading of of each kidney and connected at the other end to the bladder, by a mass or kidney stone; low potassium or high calcium levels in the blood.
- head/brain related causes: tumour of pituitary or hypothalamus.
I would suggest consultation with a specialist who is expert in DI as soon as possible.
In general I understand that, because of the way our kidneys work, their filtering ability is better when we are laying horizontal than when we are vertical. That may explain some of the difference between morning and night urine output.
And one effect of drinking so much water and urinating so much is loss of potassium from the body.
This may be something to ask your doctor as thing to monitor.
I hope your troubles get sorted quickly and soon and that you have had all the possible causes eliminated as much as possible !!

 

[hooha]

Hi @AdamJames and @nosweets Urinating during the night : Prostate ? Blood tests , ultrasound KUB ? This dry
mouth however could be something as simple as posture.
How about deliberately lying on one side in the " recovery position ".

 

[Nimpkish]

Hi @AdamJames - my HbA1c is around 32 since diagnosis in 09/16 but I still have to get up in the night to pee and I have a dry mouth which needs quenching 2/3 times a night. As you are, I'm looking for solutions.

Just like you good BG levels but almost like I don’t pee during the hours of light But as soon as it’s dark especially late evening I’m forever pausing the TV to go for a pee. Told consultant after consultant over the years but all to avail. Is it a health issue .... you’re darn right my sleep pattern is chaotic. But the doctors don’t care?