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Several years ago, I underwent a routine test that included a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test. The result of the PSA showed that I had an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH).
While this is common for men my age, its impact is inconveniencing to put it mildly. One of the symptoms of BPH is frequent urination, especially at night.
This is a story of my battle with BPH and the practical things I do to alleviate the symptoms, especially frequent nightly urination.
Imagine Waking up 6 Times to Pee!
Let me start by describing one of the most significant inconveniences of BPH, frequent urination, especially at night. Apart from frequent nightly urination, BPH also forces you to urinate too many times during the day.
I remember having a bottle in my car, in case I needed to make an urgent stop while driving. Not surprisingly, this has saved me from embarrassment more times than I will admit.
Most men over fifty reading this can relate to my situation. In fact, one of the common jokes among men my age is “the need to wake up multiple times to take a leak at night.”
It got so bad that I was worried about going out. As you can imagine, this affected my confidence as it caused me much embarrassment.
In the remaining parts of this article, I’ll explain the practical steps I took to alleviate the problem and bring the symptoms to manageable levels.
I Spoke to My GP (Doctor)
As a result of my PSA test, which revealed that I had a benign enlarged prostate, I had a chat with my Doctor. During our meeting, I explained my urgency to wee during the day, which is worse at night.
The Doctor prescribed Tamsulosin, which I take one capsule daily. Unfortunately, the medication had a marginal effect on my frequent urination.
Since the discomfort of frequent nightly urination was too much to bear, I started researching alternative medicines that could help further alleviate the discomfort.
Supplements that Help Me
Needless to say, there are loads of supplements that claim to alleviate the symptoms of BPH in men. During my research, I tried multiple ones, but none worked as well as the Wellman Prostace supplement.
I found that combining Tamsulosin and Wellman Prostace supplement, along with the other actions described below, produced a better result.
I Drink 2 Liters of Fluid Daily
Firstly, as part of my overall health regimen, I drink plenty of fluid, including water, which also helps with BPH. Drinking a lot of water while you always need to wee may look counterproductive, but it works.
I’m not sure why it works – and explaining “why” is not the purpose of this article – but from my experience, drinking at least 2 liters of fluid daily helps me sleep better, and I’m not kidding when I say that.
Meanwhile, due to my frequent need to wake up multiple times to use the bathroom, I eventually decided to reduce my daily fluid intake from two to one liter. When I did this, I noticed I struggled to fall asleep.
In addition to struggling to fall asleep, I also found it hard to get back to sleep when I woke up.
When I noticed this, I resumed taking up to two liters of fluid per day, and my sleep improved almost immediately. If you need help tracking your fluid intake, consider using the Google Fit app to keep a record of your intake.
My Exercise and Sleep Routines Help
Even before my BPH symptoms began, I had always been keen to stay fit. I do not engage in strenuous exercises, such as running or weightlifting.
Rather, I do simple exercises, such as walking. Meanwhile, to motivate myself and also track my steps, I use a step counter.
Furthermore, I recently acquired a smartwatch, which has improved the accuracy of my tracking since I wear it consistently.
In addition to accurately tracking my steps, my smartwatch also features a sedentary warning feature. With this feature, it alerts me to take a walk if I have been sitting continuously for an hour.
Finally, my smartwatch also tracks my sleep patterns, including my total nighttime sleep, as well as deep, REM, and Light sleep. Not only that, but it also records the continuity and quality of my deep sleep and breathing while I’m asleep.
See the screenshot below for a sample of the record.
All this information provides me with the data I need to adjust my behavior and improve my sleep if necessary. For instance, I had to develop a regular sleep pattern as it helps my body fall and stay asleep.
All in all, by engaging in regular fast-paced walking, tracking my steps, monitoring my fluid intake, and keeping a record of my sleep, I have been able to improve my overall health. This, in addition to my doctor-prescribed medicine and my supplements, in my experience, contributes to an overall alleviation of the symptoms of BPH.
I Went through a Bladder Training
By taking all the actions I described above, I was able to reduce my nightly urination to a maximum of two or three times. However, sometimes, I still work up to four times to urinate!
Then, I found out that I could train my bladder. Yes, you can train your bladder to behave, and I did!
The general idea is to create a urination routine and stick to it as a way to get your bladder used to the routine. In my case, I scheduled my wee every 3 hours.
To help me track the pee schedule, I used a prescription tracking app. Meanwhile, I must mention that sometimes, I got so uncomfortable that I had to wee in between.
The most important part of the schedule is the nightly schedule. Since my scheduled bedtime is 10:30 pm, my last wee time before bed is 10 pm.
Three hours from 10 pm is 1 am, then 4 am. Once I wake up by 7 am, I go to the bathroom and follow the 3-hourly schedule as much as possible throughout the day.
After keeping this schedule for about a month, I find that I wake up just those two scheduled times to pee. This gave me some control, and to be honest, waking up twice to pee is much more manageable than waking up three or four times.
Pygeum Africanum Proved to be the Magic Bullet
Even with all the above actions, I still wake up twice to wee, which is not ideal. According to my sleep app, I should not wake up more than once.
To solve this last problem, I started searching for an additional supplement that can help, and I found it – Pygeum Africanum.
Before I bought the supplement from Amazon, I read reviews, and they were encouraging. About 3 weeks after I started taking the supplement, I started waking up once to wee.
I also noticed that the urgency to wee during the day reduced drastically.
Conclusion
Aging, I would argue, has its benefits, one of which is the wisdom gained from life experiences. Unfortunately, it also has its downsides.
For men, one of these downsides is an enlarged prostate.
Statistically, 50% of men over 50, 60% of men over 60, and so on, will experience BPH. Unfortunately, statistical accuracy does not deny the enormous inconvenience of this all-too-common aging phenomenon.
In this article, I shared my journey in managing the discomfort caused by BPH and the actions I have taken to alleviate its symptoms.
I hope that by sharing my story, you know that you’re not alone, you can feel confident talking about it, and that applying some of the ideas I shared may also help alleviate your symptoms.
Most importantly, please share your experience and BPH journey with me and other readers using the “Leave a Comment” form at the bottom of this page.
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