Efficacy of Nondrug Lifestyle Measures for the Treatment of Nocturia

Purpose: Nocturia has a major impact on quality of life and affects numerous aspects of health. Lifestyle modifications are expected to be helpful in improving nocturia. However, the efficacy of this strategy has not been established. We tested the efficacy of nondrug lifestyle measures as a first step in treating nocturia and found factors predictive of the efficacy of the intervention.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective evaluation of 56 patients treated at 3 hospitals between 2005 and 2009 for symptomatic nocturia. The patients were advised to modify their lifestyle to improve nocturia. Lifestyle modifications consisted of 4 directives of 1) restriction of fluid intake, 2) refraining from excess hours in bed, 3) moderate daily exercise and 4) keeping warm in bed. The frequency volume chart, International Prostate Symptom Score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index before and 4 weeks after the intervention were used to evaluate the efficacy of the therapy.

Results: Mean nocturnal voids and nocturnal urine volume decreased significantly from 3.6 to 2.7 (p <0.0001) and from 923 to 768 ml (p = 0.0005), respectively. Of the 56 patients 26 (53.1%) showed an improvement of more than 1 episode. This treatment was significantly more effective in patients with a larger 24-hour urine production.

Conclusions: Nondrug lifestyle measures were effective in decreasing the number of nocturia episodes and improving patient quality of life. Patients with polyuria showed a better response to the treatment.