Nocturia describes the need to wake up at night in order for you to urinate. This is actually a symptom for other disease(s). Nocturia or waking up to pee at night may not pose any threat except it happens often, or you have to wake up two or more times to pee and further find it difficult to go back to sleep.
There are several possible reasons you may be peeing many times than is necessary at night. These may include one or more of the following:
Lifestyle
You are bound to urinate frequently at night when you drink too much fluid during the evening. Also, alcohol and caffeine filled drinks after dinner can also lead to you visiting the toilet more often at night.
Pregnancy
Urinating frequently can be an early symptom of pregnancy. This can develop at the beginning of pregnancy. This also happens later, when the growing womb presses against the bladder.
Medications
Frequent urination can come as a side effect of some medications. You can actually solve this discomfort by taking your medication earlier in the day or tell your doctor to prescribe an alternative medication.
Age
As you grow older, there’s a reduction in the hormone your body produces to help concentrate urine so that you can hold it until the morning. For instance, as a woman, after menopause, you produce less estrogen. This can cause changes in your urinary tract, which may make you go to the restroom often. This invariably means frequent urination can be a sign of menopause.
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety have a negative impact on nocturia. Basically, if you are stressed out during the day, or go to bed anxious, you put your body in a position to respond to the feeling of stress, which in turn causes you to wake up so often to pee at night.
Urinary Tract Infections
UTIs occur when bacteria or something else infects some parts of your urinary system (bladder, urethra and kidneys). Besides frequent urination, signs of urinary tract infections include a burning sensation when you pee, discolored/concentrated urine and constant feeling of wanting to pee, even after peeing.
Diabetes
Frequent urination can be a sign of diabetes. You often go to pee during the day and night also. With diabetes, your body can’t regulate sugar levels properly. When there’s too much sugar in your blood, your kidneys do more work than is necessary to get rid of it, thus producing more urine.
High Blood Pressure
Studies show that frequent urination at night may be linked to excessive salt intake and high blood pressure. According to research, hypertension and daily salt intake have a negative impact on nocturia.
Prostate
One of the symptoms of prostate is nocturia. Prostate gland enlargement also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition common to older men as they age. An enlarged prostate gland can cause uncomfortable urinary symptoms, such as urination difficulty, sexual dysfunction, bladder pain. It can also cause bladder, urinary tract or kidney problems.
You should seek emergency medical care from a doctor if you are unable to urinate or if you can no longer control your urination.
If you are experiencing nocturia, be it mild or severe, it’s time to look into your behavioral pattern – stop being anxious, take your medication earlier in the day, and or pay a visit to your doctor for proper examination, most importantly, change your diet, eat healthy.
