Does your bladder makes you wake up frequently at night to pee?

If you are visiting washroom more than two times in 6-8 hours of sleep, then, you might have Nocturia or nocturnal polyuria. During sleep time, your body produces less urine that is more concentrated. This means that most people don’t need to wake up during the night to urinate and can sleep uninterrupted for 6 to 8 hours. As you age the body produces less of a hormone that helps you retain fluid. Besides being disruptive to your sleep, nocturia can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Causes of nocturia range from lifestyle choices to medical conditions. Nocturia is more common among older adults, but it can encounter at any age.

The medical conditions that can cause nocturia include:
 

• Urinary tract infection/bladder infections -may cause burning sensation,urgency,increased frequency of urination in day and night
• Prostate enlargement or prostate infection
• Overactive bladder (OAB)
• Tumors of the bladder, prostate, or pelvic area
• Diabetes
• Kidney infection
• Oedema or swelling of the lower legs
• Obstructive sleep apnoea(OSA)
• Neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, or spinal cord compression
• Anxiety
• Nocturia is also common in people with organ failure, such as heart or liver failure.

Menopause

After menopause, women produce less estrogen. This can cause changes in the urinary tract that cause you to have to go to the bathroom more often.

Pregnancy

Nocturia can be an early symptom of pregnancy. This can develop at the beginning of pregnancy, but it also happens later, when the growing womb presses against the bladder.

Medications

Some medications may cause nocturia as a side effect. This is particularly true of diuretics which are commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure.

Lifestyle choices

Another common cause of nocturia is, drinking large amounts of fluids before bed. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages are diuretics, which means that drinking them causes your body to produce more urine. Consuming alcohol or caffeinated beverages in excess can lead to nighttime waking and needing to urinate.

Other people who have nocturia have simply developed a habit of waking up during the night to urinate.

Sometimes it is not the urge to go to the bathroom that causes you to wake up but rather restless leg syndrome, chronic pain, hot flashes or sleep apnea that might actually be the culprit in awakening you. Of course, once you are awake, you will feel the need to go to the bathroom. Sometimes by addressing those types of problems you can even solve the nighttime urination issue as well.

As you get older you may accept the new normal of getting up to go to the bathroom at night, but you should also discuss it with your urologist. There are treatment options available depending on the underlying cause. If you have tried to control the frequent trips to the bathroom on your own and it continues to worsen, you should definitely consult your urologist. If you have to go to the bathroom more than twice during your six to eight hours of sleep, you may have a condition called nocturia.