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Many people wake up during the night to urinate, often due to habits, but for some people, if you wake up more than once a night or are having pain, you could nocturia. Here’s what to do if you have it and when to get help.
Many factors cause people to wake up at night with the need to urinate, many of which are not due to any underlying disease. Waking up once during the night can be common for most people.
However, if you wake up and urinate more frequently, it could indicate that something else could be a factor. Some conditions or diseases can contribute to frequent nighttime urination, which requires a medical exam to diagnose.
Below, some of these conditions will be mentioned.
One of the most common is simply drinking excessive fluids, especially too close to bedtime. A simple fix is not drinking fluids too close to bedtime and/or restricting the amount of fluids you take in during the day.
Another factor may be drinking too many beverages that contain caffeine. Caffeine is a natural diuretic, meaning something that helps your body rid itself of water. Coffee, tea, and certain sodas contain caffeine.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, inhibiting the hormone vasopressin, which plays a large role in the regulation of water excretion.
Other factors that can cause frequent nighttime urination but aren’t disease-related include pregnancy and aging.
One condition that causes frequent urination at night is called nocturia. In fact, the name is derived from two root words, nocturnal meaning night, and uria, the substance present in urine.
Nocturia can also be associated with frequent daytime urination or occur by itself. According to the Cleveland Clinic, there is a distinction between nocturia (urinating too frequently) and polyuria (urinating too much volume).
Polyuria is defined as urinating more than 3000 milliliters in 24 hours. Causes of polyuria are high fluid intake, untreated diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2), or diabetes insipidus, gestational diabetes (occurs during pregnancy).
It is defined as urinating a high volume only at night. During the day, urine volume is average or reduced. Typically, fluid retention during the day accumulates in the feet or legs. At night, lying down, gravity no longer keeps the fluid in the lower extremities, and it re-enters the veins to be filtered by the kidneys, producing urine.
Causes of nocturnal polyuria are:
A person will typically urinate more frequently or in small amounts with nocturnal urinary frequency. The total amount of urine produced remains the same, but usually due to an inability to fully empty the bladder or the inability of the bladder to fill completely before developing the urge to urinate, resulting in nocturnal urinary frequency.
The causes of nocturnal urinary frequency are bladder obstruction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and the inability of the bladder to fill completely due to several causes.
The most typical symptom is waking up more than once a night to urinate. Another common symptom is urinating more volume than normal. You may also begin to experience sleepiness and fatigue because frequent urination interrupts your sleep cycle.
You should consider seeking a medical consultation if you have symptoms that you can’t relate to drinking more fluids, alcohol, or caffeinated beverages. Also, see a doctor if your symptoms disrupt your sleep and everyday activities, feel excessively thirsty, are experiencing daytime fatigue from nighttime urination, or notice any change in your urinary patterns.
Consult a medical professional immediately if you have discolored urine or blood in urine, painful urination, difficulties urinating or emptying the bladder, lose bladder control, develop a fever, or experience pain in your side, lower abdomen or groin.
