EARLIER TODAY, ONE OF my very good friends told me about how he’d been having a very troubling medical condition.

He said he noticed he always felt dizzy each time he stood up at night to go and urinate. Whenever it happened, he’d feel like he’d faint, with very serious dizziness.

Even before he mentioned what he eventually found it to be, I already knew what it was. This was partly because I had something similar, but not exactly from urinating.

What my friend described is very common. It is a medical condition known as MICTURITION SYNCOPE.

DEFINITION

This is a medical condition whereby some people get so dizzy when they stand up at night to urinate. Some others could even collapse and ‘faint’ in the process.

It is commoner in older people but can happen in much younger folks as well.

The exact mechanism isn’t known but it is believed to be a form of ORTHOSTATIC HYPOTENSION.

Orthostatic hypotension (or postural hypotension) is a condition whereby someone’s blood pressure suddenly drops when they swiftly stand up from a lying-down position.

This sudden drop in blood pressure means that the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen IMMEDIATELY the person stands up. This can cause them to feel dizzy, and some could collapse and faint.

This same mechanism is believed to be the biggest cause of micturition syncope. This is because when someone is sleeping at night, he’s lying flat. When he suddenly stands up to go to the rest room to urinate, the blood pressure drop causes him to feel dizzy when or after urinating.

Other likely causes of micturition syncope are:

~ Alcohol
~ Hunger
~ Starvation
~ Dehydration
~ Some drugs (usually certain anti-hypertensives eg Alpha 1 blockers)

PREVENTION

The method to prevent this is to AVOID RUSHING TO STAND UP FROM A LYING-DOWN POSITION.

When you wake up from sleep or want to stand up after lying down for too long, first of all sit by the side of the bed for a few minutes, stretch your legs, so the blood pressure drop can normalize.

Then stand up gradually.

Now you know this, be more careful next time.

Remember:
+++Impossibility is nothing. Just believe+++

~ © Caséy Amaefule ’20