What is nocturia?
Nocturia involves waking up multiple times at night to urinate. It is also called nocturnal urinary frequency, and it affects more than 50% of adults past the age of 50. As people age, nocturia becomes more common but it’s important to discuss this symptom with your healthcare provider, as it can also be a sign of an underlying condition.
What causes nocturia?
While age can play a huge role in the diagnosis, nocturia can also be caused by other factors. These can include:
- Drinking too much fluid prior to bed
- Taking certain medications like diuretics (water pills)
- Not fully emptying your bladder when you pee due to bladder obstruction
- Infection
- Swelling
- Certain health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, BPH, and pelvic organ prolapse can also make nocturia part of your sleep.
What are symptoms of nocturia?
Nocturia symptoms include:
- Waking to urinate more than twice a night
- Fatigue and sleepiness during the day due to sleep being interrupted by using the bathroom.
How is nocturia diagnosed?
As a starting point, your healthcare provider may want you to keep a sleep diary to help monitor how many times you wake up during the night to urinate. A urinalysis or urine culture will also help look for any underlying infections. Blood tests can be run to check kidney function, and if necessary, imaging of the bladder to check the health and function may be ordered.
What are the treatment options for nocturia?
The treatment for nocturia is often multi-faceted, depending on the reason for it. For some patients, simple lifestyle changes, such as restricting evening fluid intake, can help alleviate the symptoms of nocturnal urinary frequency. Other times, pelvic floor therapy or adjusting the time of day you take certain medications can help.
If medication is required for the treatment of nocturia, anticholinergics can reduce the symptoms associated with an overactive bladder.
As always, it’s important you discuss any of the symptoms of nocturia with your healthcare provider. Additional specialists, such as urologists and sleep specialists may also be able to support you and your diagnosis.