Sleep is extremely important for a healthy life and a functional day. Getting up in the middle of the night to pee may disrupt your sleep. This is a condition named ‘nocturia’, which may result in a bad mood and frustration. Luckily, there is a way to control your bladder.
Definition of Nocturia
We all need to sleep six-eight hours each night, but there are people who are waking up many times to pee. The Urology Care Foundation says that one in every three people who are more than thirty years old suffer from nocturia.
Why does this happen? Your bladder may be too small and cannot hold urine for a long time, or your organism just produces excess urine. Sometimes, your problem may be a result of both reasons.
According to researchers, people’s well-being and health is seriously affected by nocturia. People experience depression, anxiety, memory issues, fatigue, risk of falling, heart disease, and gastrointestinal distress. Sleep has an impact on everything in our bodies. So, we need regular sleep in order not to suffer.
Cause of Nocturia
Lifestyle, medications, and medical conditions can have an impact on your organism developing nocturia. One of the most common reasons for nocturia is aging. With age, the human body decreases the production of the hormone that is responsible for the kidney’s function.
Also, aging weakens the elasticity of the bladder, so we are not able to hold urine as we did at a younger age. So, bathroom visits in the middle of the night happen very often.
An enlarged prostate may be the cause of nocturia in older men. When we cannot entirely empty the bladder, we need to do toilet visits more frequently than usual.
If women do not exercise their pelvic muscles may also need to go to the toilet more often after having children. Also, menopause causes decreased levels of estrogen in the body and that can impact the urinary tract.
Extra Nocturia Causes
If you think you have a severe medical condition, you should schedule a doctor’s appointment. Some other causes of nocturia are the following:
- Obesity
- Heart issues
- Diabetes
- Parkinson’s
- Overactive bladder
- Prostate tumor
- Interstitial cystitis
- Alzheimer’s
- Pregnancy
- Liver failure
In order to have a good report for your doctor, you can try keeping a diary of your urination frequency. There is also a BladderTrakHer app that can help you keep track of your toilet visits. Meanwhile, we offer you tips that can help you deal with nocturia:
No Drinking Before Bed
Consuming many cups of tea or glasses of wine before bed is not a good idea. So, tip number one is to try lowering the number of glasses filled with fluids you consume at night. This may decrease the necessity for urination during the night.
Caffeine and alcohol are known to be diuretics, so do not consume them in the evening.
However, this does not mean that you should completely decrease your hydration. Not consuming liquids before bedtime may help your bladder, but it can cause an infection in your urinary tract. Apropos of…
Urinary Tract Examination
A frequent urinary need especially at night may be a result of early infection of the urinary tract or UTI. Make sure to drink enough fluids each day and include probiotics. It is very important to urinate after intercourse to prevent a full-blown infection. If you urinate frequently at night, but also have a fever, blood in urine, and stomach ache, the reason may be a UTI. Make sure to consult your doctor about your issue.
Talk to Your Doctor about Meds
Many meds have nocturia as an adverse reaction. For instance, patients with heart failure may get a diuretic prescribed from their doctor. Diuretics are prescribed to treat fluid buildup in the legs. Sadly, this may cause frequent urination during nighttime. In this case, you should talk to your doctor about taking the med earlier in the day, or discuss a different medication.
Ease Your Sleep Issue
Waking up in the night may not be just because of urination needs. Some of the reasons for not having a proper night’s sleep may be sleep apnea, chronic pain, depression, anxiety… Before jumping to conclusions, consult your doctor. Your sleep disorder may be easily relieved.
Eat Raisins
Numerous people suffering from nocturia have said that consuming raisins before bed eases their nocturia. Although, it is important to mention that there is no scientific proof this. However, you can make an experiment to see if this works for you. Try eating about thirty raisins before bedtime for a couple of nights. Some may say this is a placebo effect. But if it works for you, why not?
Stay Away from these Beverages and Foods
Nocturia may become worse if you consume some beverages and foods. Try to avoid drinking or eating these:
- Chocolate
- Processed foods
- Tea and coffee
- Alcohol
- Orange and grapefruit juices are examples of acidic fruit juices.
- Hot sauce, chili peppers, wasabi, or any other spicy ingredient
- Salsa, tomato sauce, and tomatoes
You can read the entire list of foods to avoid on the Cleveland Clinic web.
Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
It is a great idea to exercise your pelvic floor muscles. This helps because these muscles support a woman’s bladder, rectum, uterus, and small intestine. And, in men, the muscles support the urethra and bladder.
Both women and men should do Kegel exercises every day. Studies show that strong pelvic floor muscles help in treating urinary problems.
How to do the exercises? Stop the flow of urine for 5 seconds, and then resume peeing. Next, you can comfortably lie down on your back. Contract the pelvic floor muscles and then release for 5 seconds. Repeat 4-5 times in a row. You should do this exercise a few times every week. Do not exhaust your bladder even more. In a couple of weeks, your pelvic floor muscles should be much stronger. Try this tip:
Yoga Mat Time
One of the numerous benefits of yoga is stronger pelvic muscles. You can always use “YouTube” and search for some exercises for strengthening pelvic floor muscles. Here is a list of some great pelvic asanas:
- Chair
- Squat
- Locust
- Child
- Bridge
- Warrior II
Source: The Alternative Daily
