Botox for Sleep Effectiveness

Nocturia is one of the most bothersome complaints in women with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). Although small preliminary studies have shown that intradetrusor onabotulinum toxin A (BTX) injections reduce nocturia episodes, it is not known how reduction in nighttime urination affects sleep quality and quality of life.

We aimed to assess the effect of BTX on nocturia frequency, sleep quality, and quality of life.

This is a prospective observation study of adult women with ≥2 nocturia episodes and OAB planning to undergo treatment with BTX injections. Participants completed a 2-day bladder/sleep diary and sleep-related questionnaires at baseline and 5 weeks post-BTX.

A total of 40 participants were included with a mean age of 71 ± 12 years and most (90%) undergoing 100 units of BTX injection. At baseline, the median nocturia episodes were 3.5 (IQR, 2.5-5.0), and nearly half (43%) of participants reported mild to moderate sleep disturbance. At 5 weeks post-BTX, we found a significant decrease in nocturia episodes (-2/night) and a 59% decrease in mild to moderate sleep disturbance (P = 0.006). There were significant increases in longest sleep interval (+1.5 hours), time to first awakening (+1.6 hours) and average sleep interval (+1.3 hours), and a significant increase in nocturia-related quality of life scores (P < 0.001 for all). Sixteen (40%) of participants had nocturia resolution defined as ≤1 mean nocturia episode post-BTX.

For women with OAB and >2 nocturia episodes/night, BTX injections reduce voids/night and improve sleep quality and nocturia-related quality of life.