A sleep problem could be a symptom of a serious health issue or an adverse effect of therapy in order to treat certain conditions.
So, if you often find yourself lying awake at night, waiting for some sleep to come, you may wonder about several medical reasons why you can’t sleep. Yes, being unable to sleep is most commonly due to insomnia, but there are actually other health problems and surprising causes that might impact your ability to sleep—read on to discover them.
1. Urinary incontinence
Frequently visits to the bathroom can easily compromise your entire sleep pattern and, unfortunately, this health issue affects many people. “While urinary incontinence does affect women more often than men, millions of both men and women deal with some type of bladder control issue at some point in their lives and many suffer from symptoms that significantly impact their quality of sleep,” says Adam Ramin, MD, urologic surgeon and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles.
“And the truth is, if you suffer from urinary incontinence, it doesn’t have to be a condition that puts you in adult diapers for the rest of your life or prevent you from ever having a good night’s sleep again.”
Dr. Ramin agrees that eating proper diet and making a few lifestyle changes can help with bladder control, including minimizing your consumption of caffeine. “Caffeine stimulates bladder function and is also considered a diuretic,” Dr. Ramin continues.
“Though it can be much easier said than done, limiting or eliminating caffeine altogether has been known to be successful in diminishing and resolving issues of urinary incontinence.” Needing to go to the toilet frequently may also be keeping you up at night. Try reducing your fluid intake just a few hours before bedtime. If that’s not enough, you should speak to your doctor about getting tested for underlying health problems like infections.
