Most people wake up once in a while to use the bathroom. Maybe you drank a large glass of water before bed, had a late cup of coffee, or simply woke up and realized your bladder was full.
But if you’re waking up several times every night, it can leave you feeling tired, irritable, and struggling to get through the day. Frequent urination at night, also called nocturia, can affect your sleep and quality of life. It can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
The good news is that frequent urination at night is often treatable once the cause is identified.
What Is Frequent Urination at Night?
Frequent urination at night is called nocturia. It means waking up from sleep because you need to urinate.
Getting up once during the night is common, especially as you get older. But if you’re waking up two or more times every night and it’s affecting your sleep or daily routine, it’s time to find out why.
What Causes Frequent Urination at Night?
Frequent urination at night is a symptom, not a disease. Sometimes your body makes too much urine while you sleep. Other times, your bladder isn’t holding urine as well as it should. Several different conditions can cause nighttime urination.
Drinking Fluids Before Bed
Drinking a lot of fluids in the evening can increase the need to urinate overnight. Drinks with caffeine or alcohol can make the problem worse. That’s because they increase urine production and may irritate the bladder.
Enlarged Prostate
For men, an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is one of the most common causes of this condition. As the prostate grows, it can block the flow of urine and keep the bladder from emptying completely.
Other symptoms may include:
- A weak urine stream
- Trouble starting urination
- Frequent daytime urination
- A sudden urge to urinate
- A feeling that your bladder isn’t completely empty
Overactive Bladder
An overactive bladder causes sudden urges to urinate, even when the bladder isn’t full. You may also urinate more often during the day, leak urine before reaching the bathroom, or wake up several times at night.
Urinary Tract Infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) can irritate the bladder and make you feel like you need to urinate more often. Other symptoms may include burning with urination, pelvic pain, cloudy urine, or blood in the urine.
Diabetes
Frequent urination at night can sometimes be an early sign of diabetes. High blood sugar causes the kidneys to remove extra sugar from the blood, leading to increased urine production.
Medications, Aging, and Other Health Conditions
Some medications, including diuretics (water pills), can make you urinate more often, especially if you take them later in the day.
Aging can make frequent urination at night more common. Changes in your bladder, sleep, and overall health all play a role.
Heart and kidney conditions may also cause frequent urination at night. Fluid can build up in your legs during the day. When you lie down to sleep, that fluid moves back into your bloodstream. Your kidneys remove the extra fluid by making more urine.
When Should You See a Doctor?
Occasionally getting up during the night to urinate usually isn’t a cause for concern. But you should schedule an appointment if you:
- Wake up two or more times every night to urinate
- Feel tired during the day because you’re not sleeping well
- Have pain or burning when you urinate
- Notice blood in your urine
- Have trouble emptying your bladder
- Feel unusually thirsty or notice unexplained weight loss
- Have swelling in your legs or shortness of breath
A sudden change in your urinary habits is another reason to be evaluated.
Find Help for Frequent Urination at Night in San Antonio
You don’t have to accept frequent urination at night as a normal part of life. In many cases, treatment can reduce nighttime bathroom trips and help you get better sleep.
The team at Urology San Antonio can identify the cause of your symptoms and recommend the treatment that’s right for you. If frequent urination at night is keeping you up at night or affecting your daily life, schedule an appointment at one of our convenient San Antonio locations today.