Nocturia (waking up at night to pass urine)

If you have to wake up more than once a night to pass urine, it may be affecting the quality of your sleep and leaving you feeling tired during the day. The medical term for waking up at night to pass urine is ‘nocturia’. Nocturia becomes more frequent as one gets older, partly due to changes in the ability of the bladder to hold and to pass out urine.

What can I do to reduce nocturia?

A simple way to reduce nocturia is to reduce the amount of fluids that you consume during evening and night time. You can make up for it by drinking more in the day time. Do avoid drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee or tea in the evening or night time as these beverages may aggravate the situation.

If these measures do not work, do consult your doctor as there are ways to treat this problem.

Causes of nocturia include:

• • The aging process
  • Prostate enlargement
  • Overactive bladder
  • Other health conditions such as diabetes mellitus, heart problems and blocked airway when sleeping

• Medications such as diuretics
• Nocturnal polyuria, which is excessive urine production at night due to imbalance of antidiuretic hormone
• Insomnia

Treatment will depend on the main factor causing the nocturia. Treatments may include:

• Fluid management strategies (see above)
• Medication or surgery for prostate enlargement
• Medication for overactive bladder
• Medication to treat imbalance of antidiuretic hormone