Men who get up to urinate in the middle of the night are commonly encouraged to talk to their doctors about prostate cancer. While this is an important issue to discuss, these men should also talk to their doctor about sleep apnea.
A study published in the Journal fo the American Board of Family Medicine shows that men with benign prostate enlargement who get up to urinate once in the night, were 2.44 times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than men who reported no awakenings. And if the men reported two to three episodes and three or more episodes the risk increased to 5.75 and 12.3 times, respectively.
This evidence suggests that if you are being awakened and suspect you may have prostate cancer or BPE, you should also talk to your doctor about the possibility of obstructive sleep apnea. Prostate cancer is serious, of course, but a diagnosis of BPE can give a false sense of security when you may be at risk from the dangers of obstructive sleep apnea.
If you have frequent awakenings due to BPE, you should talk to your doctor about sleep apnea or find a local sleep apnea dentist who can help you find treatment options for your apnea.