"Countless people  often men with enlarged prostates  need to visit the bathroom during the night. But help could soon be at hand in the form of a nasal spray new research suggests. A spritz of a synthetic hormone already used by bedwetting kids might benefit older people struggling with the problem called nocturia. Nocturia is very common in patients over  years old and can cause significant problems by causing loss of sleep and injury due to falls said study lead author Dr. Jed Kaminetsky. The millions of people with nocturia wake up two or more times a night to urinate. Besides an enlarged prostate Kaminetsky said common causes are bladder problems poor circulation and obesity. Kaminetsky is a clinical assistant professor of urology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. In the United States theres no approved drug to treat the problem the study authors said. The new drug while promising is of concern because of its potential to lower blood sodium levels in the elderly one doctor said. Meanwhile another researcher suggested that exercise might help stave off nocturia.  Known as SER the nasal spray contains desmopressin a lowdose synthetic version of the naturally occurring hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin an antidiuretic reduces urine production. SER appears to delay urine production for four to six hours during sleep said Kaminetsky and wears off by morning when patients awaken and start to drink fluids. He is scheduled to present his teams research Sunday in San Diego at a meeting of the American Urological Association. The research was funded by the sprays manufacturer Serenity Pharmaceuticals. Desmopressin is commonly used to treat bedwetting among children ages  and up the study authors pointed out. To assess its potential in adults the study team enlisted nearly  men and women  and older who had a history of nocturia. For three months participants were randomly assigned to use either the desmopressin spray two doses were tried or a nonmedicinal spray a placebo. Patients kept threeday urination diaries and filled out qualityoflife questionnaires. Desmopressin spray prompted a significant decrease in the frequency of nightly bathroom trips compared with the untreated group Kaminetsky said. On average patients reported at least two fewer episodes a night. The treatment group also experienced a significant increase in the length of time they could sleep before awakening to urinate. That uninterrupted sleep period extended to more than four hours Kaminetsky said. The researchers also found that those in the higherdose spray group experienced a significant improvement in overall quality of life compared with the untreated group. Though SER is still considered investigational Kaminetsky said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the findings with a possible decision late this year. Dr. Tomas Griebling a professor of urology at the University of Kansas described the study results as promising but added a note of caution. Other researchers have examined the utility and safety of desmopressin for the treatment of nocturia in the past he said. However there have been concerns about safety particularly in elderly patients. Griebling said the American Geriatrics Society includes desmopressin in the Beers Criteria for potentially inappropriate medications for older adults primarily because of concerns about resulting low blood sodium levels. But the lower doses used in this study . or . mcg may help to improve the overall safety profile particularly for geriatric patients he said. Additional research will be needed to fully answer this question in the future. The study team said two of the higherdose patients developed significantly low blood sodium levels hyponatremia as did one person taking the placebo. Dr. Julien Dagenais a urologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston explored nocturia from another angle. He analyzed physical activity data reported by more than  men and women aged  and older in a U.S. health and nutrition survey conducted between  and . People who reported higher levels of exercise were less likely to suffer from nocturia Dagenais found. This suggests that the antiinflammatory impact of routine exercise may minimize nocturia he said. These findings will also be presented at the American Urological Association meeting. Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peerreviewed journal. More information Theres more on nocturia at the National Association for Continence http SOURCES Jed Kaminetsky M.D. clinical assistant professor department of urology NYU Langone Medical Center New York City Tomas L. Griebling M.D. MPH senior associate dean for medical education and professor urology and faculty associate Landon Center on Aging University of Kansas School of Medicine Kansas City American Urological Association meeting San Diego May"