Are you a veteran that finds yourself waking up multiple times throughout the night to go to the bathroom? You may be eligible for VA disability for nocturia and sleep apnea.
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Have you ever wondered why it never feels like your bladder is empty? Do you feel tired all the time, and do you have trouble focusing during the day? If any of this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from nocturia. Veterans can receive VA benefits for both conditions.
In this article about VA disability for nocturia:
What is nocturia?
Nocturia is a condition in which you find yourself having to get up to urinate more frequently throughout the night. You may be urinating in small amounts at a time multiple times throughout the night. In many cases, people with nocturia also experience more frequent daytime urination.
Normally, you should be able to sleep between six and eight hours in a row without having to get up to use the bathroom. When you have nocturia, you may find yourself waking up every two to three hours just to use the restroom.
Causes of nocturia
There can be a number of different causes of nocturia. Nocturia is often caused by a problem with your bladder. Your bladder may not be able to empty all the way when you urinate, causing it to fill up more quickly, or it may start signaling you that its full and triggering the urge to urinate before it really is.
If you have had any previous bladder, urinary tract, or prostate problems in the past, you could be at a higher risk of developing nocturia. People with diabetes, cardiac disease, or a BMI over 23 may also be at higher risk. Anxiety, high blood pressure, and alcohol consumption can all also increase your risk of developing nocturia. Under the age of 50, women are more likely to get nocturia. At the age of 60+, men are more likely to develop the condition.
Although nocturia may be related to sleep apnea, it can also be caused by and/or connected with several other conditions.
- Diabetes
- Enlarged prostate
- Bladder obstruction, malignancy, swelling, infection or spasms
- Heart failure
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Polyuria
Nocturia VA rating
While nocturia does not have its own diagnostic code, it is rated analogously using the criteria for “voiding dysfunction,” as follows:
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing suddenly stops and starts several times while sleeping, often causing them to wake up multiple times during the night.
When you stop breathing and the oxygen levels in your body drop, you experience all the physical symptoms – lowered heart rate, the buildup of carbon dioxide, and more. Your brain gets all these signals and, thinking you’re choking, wakes you up so you can breathe.
These constant awakenings throughout the night can prevent you from reaching the deeper stages of sleep when your brain gets the rest it really needs.
One of the most recognizable symptoms of sleep apnea is snoring, which is caused by the obstruction in your airways. You may stop breathing entirely for up to thirty seconds, or you may attempt to breathe, but take in no air. You might wake up choking or gasping as your brain attempts to rouse your body enough to get the oxygen it needs.
Types of sleep apnea
There are a few types of sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which the muscles in the back of your throat relax when you sleep. Your soft palate drops down, closing off your throat and stopping you from being able to take in enough oxygen.
Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a more complicated form of sleep apnea where the brain will fail to send the proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing when you sleep.
Complex sleep apnea syndrome is a form of sleep apnea in which a person has both OSA and CSA.
Doctors are unsure what causes sleep apnea. However, there are factors that can increase your risk of sleep apnea:
- Being overweight or obese
- A family history of sleep apnea
- Drinking, smoking or taking sedatives/tranquilizers
- Diabetes
- Congestive heart failure
- Parkinson’s disease
Men and older adults are also at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea VA rating
Connection between nocturia and sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could cause nocturia. Nocturia is so common among people with sleep apnea that it has become a screening factor in diagnosing sleep apnea. About 50% of people with OSA have nocturia. Fortunately, treatment of OSA improves both conditions.
When you experience sleep apnea, your brain sends a variety of panic signals throughout your body. Your blood becomes more acidic, your heart rate drops, and the blood vessels in your lungs constrict.
Your heart sends an emergency notice to the body that it needs to dump sodium and water immediately, which causes your bladder to kick into gear and send signals to your brain that you need to urinate.
Because of this, veterans with service-connected sleep apnea who also experience nocturia could be eligible for additional compensation. If you are able to prove your nocturia was “as least as likely as not” caused by service-connected sleep apnea, then the condition should be rated on a secondary basis.
Getting a diagnosis
If you suspect you may have nocturia, it’s important to schedule an appointment with your doctor so you can get a diagnosis. Nocturia may be a symptom of a more serious disease, and it’s important that you get the treatment you need. Your doctor may begin their exam with a urine test to rule out infection or other easily treated causes of nocturia.
In order to diagnose you with nocturia, your doctor may ask you to keep a fluid and voiding diary for two days. During those two days, you’ll record how much fluid you take in and how frequently you have to go to the bathroom. They may also ask you to measure your pee so they can determine if you have nocturia, polyuria, or both.
As sleep apnea and nocturia are commonly present together, doctors may ask you about one if you are reporting symptoms of the other. If the doctor doesn’t ask, it is important to express all of your symptoms even if you think they are small. Getting the correct diagnosis will only help your chances of receiving VA benefits.
TDIU for sleep apnea and nocturia
Sleep problems like nocturia and sleep apnea can cause a variety of occupational issues. Lack of sleep makes it harder to focus and concentrate, making work difficult or impossible. Since sleep apnea and nocturia have been linked, the two conditions combined can create even more difficulty when it comes to sleeping and functioning in everyday life. Sleep disorders are also often linked to many mental health issues.
Because of this, veterans with nocturia and sleep apnea may qualify for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) because they sleep and mental health issues often rule out even sedentary work.
TDIU benefits grant the same amount of monthly compensation as a 100% VA disability rating. Veterans who are eligible for TDIU benefits could possibly receive more than $3,938.58 a month. Read more about TDIU eligibility or call us today for free consultation.
How our VA-accredited attorneys can help
Woods & Woods has worked with thousands of veterans nationwide to get them the VA benefits they deserve. Call us for a free case evaluation to find out how we can help. If we take your case, you only pay us a percentage of your back pay if you win.
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Frequently asked questions
Your doctor may want you to have a sleep study to diagnose your apnea or other sleep problems, but for nocturia alone you’ll probably just have to keep a “fluid and voiding diary.” You keep track of how much you drink and pee for a few days and that’s all they need.
Nocturia can be rated analogously to voiding dysfunction for VA disability. Voiding dysfunction can rate at 10%, 20%, or 40% depending on the severity and frequency of symptoms.
Neil Woods
Neil Woods is a VA disability attorney and the owner and president of Woods & Woods. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
