Do you feel the urge to pass urine more times than usual during the night? Is it something to worry? The frequency of urination varies from person to person. However, it can get inconvenient if it is too frequent. It will affect your ability to function normally throughout the day and interrupt your sleep. This cycle can easily turn into a huge drag on your life if it goes unchecked.
How Many Times Is Normal to Urinate at Night?
Most people only feel the urge to urinate about 6 to 7 times in 24 hours. However, 4 to 10 times is what is generally accepted for any healthy person. This means that on average, you should get the urge to urinate once every 4 hours. This varies based on the amount of fluid you consume.
Waking up once or twice during the night to pee is normal. However, if you’re going to the bathroom more than twice a night, then there could be a problem.
Normally, you should be able to go for about 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. However, excessive urination at night can prevent you from enjoying a good night’s rest. This condition is known as Nocturia. Below we explore the symptoms, causes and treatment option of the condition.
Signs and Symptoms of Excessive Nighttime Urination
Nocturia is more common among adults but it can occur at any age. Most people will only go two times at most in one night. However, if you are suffering from nocturia, you will urinate up to 5 or 6 times a night. That’s not all. You will also experience the following symptoms.
- Production of more than 2 liters of urine per day
- The bladder produces too much urine at night such that it’s unable to hold.
- Poor sleep from waking up to go to the bathroom at night
- A combination of low nocturnal bladder capacity and frequent nighttime urination.
Causes of Nocturia
- Sleep Apnea
Half of the people who experience sleep apnea also experience nocturia. The reason for this is that when you make a vigorous effort to breathe through a closed air, the muscles of the heart are stretched. Consequently, a hormone is released causing an increase in the production of urine.
- Diabetes
High levels of glucose in your kidneys during the night increase the amount of fluid in your urine. The consequence of this is that you urinate more during the night.
- Old Age
As you grow older, you experience decreased bladder capacity and overactive bladder muscles.
- Caffeine and Alcohol
How many times is normal to urinate at night? At most two. But consuming caffeine or alcohol late in the night can ruin your sleep. They both induce diuresis, which increases frequency of urination.
- Medications
Using diuretic medications such as furosemide or hydrochlorothiazide can cause nocturia. If you are suffering from blood pressure, make a habit of taking your medications in the morning as they can cause an increase in urination.
- Neurological Disorders
Diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s cause a dysfunction in the nervous system. This can lead to bladder dysfunction that results in frequent urination during the night.
- Urinary Tract Infections
If you have chronic or recurrent UTI’s then there is a chance you might experience increased urination during the night. This is usually accompanied by fever, burning sensation and abdominal pain. You will need to take antibiotics to sort this out.
- Taking Too Much Fluid
If you take too much water just before you go to bed in the evening, then you can expect to urinate more than you usually do. This will affect the quality of your sleep and your productivity the next day. Avoid taking more than 30% of the amount of water and other fluids you usually consume during the night. By restricting the amount of fluid that goes into your body, you reduce the chances of nocturia.
- Obesity
How many times is normal to urinate at night? Well, it depends on a number of factors, one of them being your weight. If you are obese especially around the belly, then you are at risk of developing nocturia. This is usually attributed to undetected sleep apnea.
10. Pregnancy
One of the early signs of pregnancy is nocturia. If you suspect you might be pregnant, then you might just have the reason for your frequent visits to the bathroom at night. The condition can develop during the early stages of pregnancy or in the final trimester when the womb starts pressing against the bladder.
11. Lifestyle
If you have developed a habit of urinating several times a night. Then your body might just have adjusted to your habits, requiring you to urinate frequently during the night.
12. Cognitive Heart Failure
This condition affects the heart’s ability to pump normally. So, during the day fluid accumulates in the legs due to the weak heart and gravity. This fluid starts to reenter the bloodstream when you lie down at night since the effect of gravity has been reduced. The fluid then increases urine production in the body.
Treatment and Prevention Options for Excessive Nighttime Urination
If the condition is as a result of medication for blood pressure, then you might want to take the medicine earlier in the day. Your doctor might also recommend medication for treating nocturia including anticholinergic drugs, which help reduce the symptoms of an overactive bladder. They might also prescribe desmopressin to help limit the production of urine in the kidneys during the night.
You can prevent nocturia naturally by doing Kegel exercises on a daily basis. Kegels help strengthen the pelvic muscles and urethra, which support the bladder. You can also do some bladder training whereby you train the bladder to hold in urine for longer. You should do this for about 3 months. Lastly, you can reduce the effects of the condition by monitoring your fluid intake, especially at night.
How many times is normal to urinate at night? Now you know all the answer.