Seniors urinate at night (nocturia) due to age-related hormonal changes (less ADH), fluid retention shifting when lying down, weaker bladder muscles, and conditions like enlarged prostate (men) or pelvic floor issues (women). Other causes include diabetes, heart issues, sleep apnea, UTIs, and drinking caffeine/alcohol before bed, often creating a cycle where being awake leads to more bathroom trips.
It might be a good idea to make some simple lifestyle changes like eliminating beverages two to three hours before bedtime. Discuss your symptoms with a healthcare provider if this doesn't work. You may need medication or tests to determine if something else is causing you to pee so often.
It is a common problem. It is even more common as we get older. Nocturia can upset your sleep and put you at risk of falls when you get up in the dark to pass urine. Also you may not be able to get back to sleep so you might not function as well through the day.
Many men ignore weeing in the night but using the toilet three times or more could indicate a problem with their prostate.
3 Tips to Help You Reduce Nighttime Urination
Drinking too much fluid during the evening can cause you to urinate more often during the night. Caffeine and alcohol with or after dinner can also lead to this problem. Other common causes of urination at night include: Infection of the bladder or urinary tract.
Medicine for nocturia
A low-dose version of a medicine called desmopressin may be used to treat nocturia, which is the frequent need to get up during the night to urinate, by helping to reduce the amount of urine produced by the kidneys.
See a health care professional if you have symptoms of a bladder problem, such as trouble urinating, a loss of bladder control, waking to use the bathroom, pelvic pain, or leaking urine.
The "21-second pee rule" comes from a scientific study showing most mammals over about 3 kg (6.6 lbs) empty their bladders in roughly 21 seconds, a phenomenon explained by physics where longer, wider urethras in larger animals use gravity to maintain a similar flow rate to smaller ones, and it serves as a loose benchmark for human bladder health; significantly shorter or longer times can signal issues like overactive bladder or holding it too long.
Lifestyle changes
If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidney's filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
Foods that have been known to amplify overactive bladder symptoms include:
Antimuscarinic therapy -- with or without behavioural therapy -- represents the most common treatment for patients with OAB. Several antimuscarinic agents are currently available for the treatment of OAB in adults, including oxybutynin, tolterodine, trospium chloride, darifenacin and solifenacin.
Vegetables – Leafy greens, like kale, lettuce, cucumber, squash, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, celery and bell peppers. Whole grains, like oats, barley, farro, and quinoa (also a great protein).
“In fact, it's normal for a 60-year-old man to get up once, a 70-year-old man to get up twice and an 80-year-old man to get up three times a night.” OK, so it's common. But you can minimize this nightly annoyance. Your body makes more urine in the evening than during the day, Dr.
Main symptoms of bladder cancer
getting lots of urinary tract infections. needing to pee more often. needing to pee very suddenly. losing your appetite and losing weight without trying to.
The Best Supplements for Kidney and Bladder Health
Most of the time, adults can hold their urine until they reach a restroom. A sudden, strong urge to urinate that's difficult to control can indicate a urinary tract infection, urge incontinence or other bladder conditions.
There are many reasons why you might experience frequent urination at night, including drinking fluids or alcohol before bed, taking certain medications, having an overactive bladder, or managing health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Bladder Botox® Treatment
They may offer bladder Botox® (onabotulinumtoxin). Botox® works for the bladder by relaxing the muscle of the bladder wall reducing urinary urgency and urge incontinence. It can help the bladder muscles from squeezing too much.
Lifestyle and home remedies
You should schedule an appointment with your doctor if nighttime urination is affecting your quality of life. Several situations need professional evaluation: You're waking more than twice a night to urinate, especially if this is new. Nighttime bathroom trips are disrupting your sleep or affecting your daily life.
Patient summary: People with kidney disease can suffer severe sleep disturbance because of a need to pass urine overnight.
Treatment involves discontinuation of implicated drugs, short term use of cholinergic drugs and urinary catheterisation. Increased urine volumes and nocturia are frequently seen in hyperosmolar and oedematous states.