Frequent peeing disturbing your sleep at night?
IT is normal to wake up at night with a powerful urge to urinate, causing you to wake up from sleep. Waking up once to urinate usually isn't anything to worry about, but anything beyond that might warrant further investigation.
A journal on Nocturia: consequences, classification, and management defines the phenomenon of frequent night-time urination as a condition characterised by the need to awaken more than once per night to void.
Although nocturia is a multifactorial condition that can coexist with other lower urinary tract symptoms, the most common causal factor is the night-time overproduction of urine.
Repeated nocturnal voiding (frequent urination) can lead to chronically disrupted sleep, which can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life and overall health.
As backed up by science, in addition to daily fatigue and the general annoyance of waking at night to urinate, poor sleep can lead to the worsening of pre-existing health issues.
Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that nocturia may be associated with an increased mortality risk due to its negative impact on sleep and other associated comorbidities.
Case in point, in a 2019 study presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society, people who woke up at least once per night to use the bathroom were 40 percent more likely to have high blood pressure.
And those who woke up multiple times each night had an even greater likelihood of it.
According to a study on Nocturia: Focus on Etiology and Consequences, Nocturia can occur for one of three reasons: your bladder is having difficulties holding pee, you are producing more urine than usual during the day, or you are producing more urine during the night.
This phenomenon is generally recognised as the most annoying and common of all urinary ailments and affects 50 million people in the United States alone, with 10 million diagnosed with nocturia, but only 1,5 million receiving treatment.
The prevalence of nocturia varies by age and gender, however, it can affect any group.
The likelihood of developing the condition increases with age in both genders.
Nonetheless, it is critical to diagnose and treat young people who have nocturia, because the negative effects of sleep fragmentation are especially tough for those who lead busy lives and have demanding work schedules.
Another study in Finland found that women had greater rates of nocturia than men in younger populations, but this gender difference disappeared between the ages of 50 and 59, while men's frequency increased after the age of 60.
What are the signs and symptoms of nocturia?
Normally, you should be able to sleep six to eight hours without needing to get up to use the restroom.
People who suffer from nocturia get up several times during the night to urinate. This can interfere with a proper sleep pattern.
Nocturia symptoms can include: Getting up more than once during the night to urinate.
Increasing the volume of urine (if polyuria is present).
Fatigue and sleepiness persist even after waking up. This happens because frequent urination can disrupt your sleep pattern.
Some of the most common dietary factors that contribute to urinating more at night are:
Lifestyle modifications in your control Alcohol and caffeine: Coffee, soda, and other beverages with caffeine, as well as alcoholic drinks, have diuretic properties that stimulate urine production.
Dietary salt: Excessive salt (sodium) can trigger nocturia in people with obesity or poor cardiac output. Sodium increases fluid retention. The fluid might be released at night when the bladder is full.
Hyper-hydration: Drinking too much water before bedtime can easily trigger a middle-of-the-night bathroom visit.
Low-fibre diet: Chronic constipation can happen if your diet lacks dietary fibre. At night, the build-up of stool can cause the bowel to stretch and put pressure on the bladder, giving you the urge to pee. — IOL Health