I recently started taking both glucosamine complex pills (for my aching joints) and One-a-Day “Men’s Health Formula” vitamin tablets. My starting this regimen seems to have coincided with a period of chronic inability to sleep all the way through the night and great difficulty in falling back asleep once I’ve woken up.
My bladder seems to be a frequent culprit in the “waking me up” department, which baffles me because I used to drink 2-4 liters of Mountain Dew daily, sipping at it from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed, and I never had any problem with sleeping all night or my bladder waking me up. Some time ago I stopped the constant MD intake and replaced it with plain old bottled water, with the purpose being weight loss and general improvement of my health. These days I generally avoid any caffeine or other stimulants/diuretics after noon (unless I’m working a night shift), though I’ll sometimes have a cup of tea in the afternoon.
I made the switch from Mountain Dew to plain water more than a year ago, and haven’t had any serious sleep or bladder issues… until I started with the glucosamine and vitamin pills. Before I put myself to bed I make sure my bladder is completely drained, and once in bed I read until I can’t keep my eyes open. At that point I turn out the light and lay back, and usually fall asleep very quickly. And then, within two hours or less, I’m awake and my bladder is screaming at me. So I get up and urinate, and crawl back into bed, where I lie awake for 30 minutes or more. Sometimes I’ll have to urinate again in two hours or less. Sometimes I’ll just wake up after only four total hours of sleep and can’t fall asleep again.
Now, I’m 42 years old and realize I may have an enlarged prostate (I’m due to get that checked anyway), but the timing here is what makes me wonder. Does glucosamine have known side effects like increased urine production or sleeplessness? Or could this be related to my starting with the multivitamins when vitamin pills haven’t really been a part of my diet before?