We all know that a good night’s sleep is nature’s way of preparing our bodies and minds for the next day. Our health is in jeopardy when frequent nighttime urination interrupts our sleep.
Nocturia is the medical term for nighttime urination. There are many possible causes of frequent urination from simple issues to severe medical disorders. Most people sleep a healthy six to eight hours a night.
Those who experience nocturia may find it necessary to make many trips to the bathroom, thus disrupting normal sleep patterns.
Several symptoms of nocturia include:
1. Excessive urination – the need to urinate when there is too much urine in the bladder.
2. Frequent urination – too many trips to the bathroom for various reasons; the need to urinate more often than usual.
3. Urgent urination – a sudden, compelling urge or need to urinate, sometimes with little result.
At times, certain substances irritate the bladder and cause or aggravate this condition. For example, drinking too much liquid before bedtime including water, caffeine, or alcohol may cause frequent urination during the night.
Other reasons could include bladder conditions such as overactive, dysfunctional, or irritated bladder. Urinary tract infections, enlarged prostate in men or pregnancy for women can cause nocturia.
Interstial cystitis is a painful condition caused by inflammation of the tissue of the bladder. The cause of interstial cystitis is unknown and often misdiagnosed as urinary tract infection.
More severe causes could be diabetes or, even less common, bladder cancer.
Middle age and older men usually need to urinate once in the early morning hours. An increased number of visits are cause for concern.
Before calling the doctor:
+ Avoid drinking excessive fluid before bedtime.
+ Take prescribed diuretics in the morning rather than afternoon or evening.
+ Keep a diary of times and amounts voided to show the doctor.
Call your doctor right away if you experience:
1. Fever, back pain, vomiting or chills
2. Increased thirst or appetite
3. Fatigue
4. Sudden weight loss
5. Frequent and urgent urination
6. Incontinence
7. Bloody or cloudy urine
Call for an appointment if you are still making frequent trips to the bathroom after cutting back on liquids, and the number of trips interferes with your normal sleep.
Caffeine and alcohol are natural stimulants that cause the body to produce more urine than usual. Certain medications such as diuretics prescribed for high blood pressure also cause frequent urination. They are called water pills for a reason.
Urinating at night might simply be a part of the aging process. The body transfers more urine output during the night than during the day for older people.
Cutting back on fluid intake and taking diuretics in the morning should help reduce your nighttime visits to the bathroom. If they do not help, call your doctor for an appointment. There may be a more urgent medical reason for your nocturia.
Online References:
1. Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Online location: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
2. Urinating frequently: When to See Your Doctor. www.mothernature.com/library/bookshelf
3. Symptom: Night Urination. Online at www.wrongdiagnosis.com
