HOW MANY TIMES IS TOO OFTEN?

MANY suspect they may have a bladder problem but suffer in silence, because they are too embarrassed to discuss it with their GP. One common problem is not knowing how many times is ‘normal’ to need to go.

The older you are, the less your bladder can hold and the more you drink, the more you will need

to go to the loo. But going more than usual during the day — and also waking at night needing to go — may be a sign of a problem.

Generally, needing the loo more than eight times a day and more than once a night is likely to be a bladder issue, says Dr Neil Barber, a consultant urologist at NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust.