Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAgeLifestyle and DietPregnancyMedicationsAcute ConditionsChronic Conditions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Age
Lifestyle and Diet
Pregnancy
Medications
Acute Conditions
Chronic Conditions
Frequent urination at night (nocturia) can be a normal part of aging, but it can also be a sign of a medical concern like diabetes, heart disease, or bladder problems. Some health conditions that cause nerve damage, like Parkinson’s and MS, can also lead to bladder problems. You might also wake up to pee because of lifestyle factors (like your diet) or medications you take.
Nocturia can lead tosleep deprivation, daytime fatigue, impaired concentration, depression, and a loss of productivity, so it’s important to bring it to your healthcare provider’s attention.
This article discusses common causes of frequent urination at night. It’s possible for one or more to be at play.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Age is one of the main factors associated with nocturia. Most people with the condition are over the age of 60, though younger age can be a factor in nighttime urination, too.
One well-known aging-related cause is a condition callednocturnal polyuria(NP). With this, the body makes high volumes of urine during sleep.
The prevalence of nocturnal polyuria increases with age. Around 77% of older women and 93% of older men have the condition.
Younger people (especially kids) get nocturia simply because their bladders have not reached their full size yet. The amount of urine that’s made at night can be more than the organ can hold.
Can Someone Really Have a Small Bladder?There is negligible, if any, variation in adult bladder sizes. However, it is possible to have a normal size bladder and be unable to hold as much urine as expected. This is typically due to a medical condition.
Can Someone Really Have a Small Bladder?
There is negligible, if any, variation in adult bladder sizes. However, it is possible to have a normal size bladder and be unable to hold as much urine as expected. This is typically due to a medical condition.
Causes and Treatment of Frequent Urination
Some of the most common dietary factors that contribute tourinating moreat night are:
What the Color and Smell of Urine Can Tell You
Nocturia can occur during all stages of pregnancy but for different reasons. The times when nocturia is most common in pregnant people are:
Research suggests that as many as 89% of pregnant people will experience a frequent urge to urinate at night at some point in their pregnancy.
How to Deal With Frequent Urination During Pregnancy
Nocturia can also be a side effect of certain medications. This can happen in a few ways:
Some of the drugs commonly associated with frequent urination at night include:
The urge to urinate often occurs when a drug is at peak levels in the bloodstream. Adjusting the timing of your dose may help with nocturia. If not, you might need to try a different drug. Speak with your healthcare provider before stopping or switching medications.
The Most Common Medications Prescribed For Urinary Problems
Nocturia can be a symptom of acute conditions of the urinary tract (urologic), such as:
With acute conditions,inflammationcan trigger the sudden need to urinate due to contractions in the urinary tract (urinary urgency). Nocturia is often the continuation of urinary urgency that a person has during the day.
Once the cause of the inflammation is treated, the nocturia will usually get better.
What Does Pain With Urination Mean?
Nocturia can also be a symptom of a chronic condition. In these cases, it can go on for a long time and be hard to treat. Some of the causes are related to the urinary system and others are not.
The most common chronic causes of frequent urination at night include:
There are a few ways that chronic conditions cause the need to urinate more at night:
Treating Bladder Problems From MS
Summary
In some cases, making some changes to your lifestyle (like losing weight or cutting back on alcohol) might help with nocturia. There are also treatments for many conditions that can cause it that you can discuss with your provider.
How Different Bladder Problems Are Treated
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Urinating more at night.Zagaria AE.Nocturia in older adults: Highlighting nocturnal polyuria.US Pharm. 2017;42(8):Epub.NHS (UK).Common health problems in pregnancy.Ghetti C, Lee M, Oliphant S, Okun M, Lowder JL.Sleep quality in women seeking care for pelvic organ prolapse.Maturitas. 2015;80(2):155-61. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.015Nigam A, Ahmad A, Gaur D, Elahi AA, Batra S.Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in pregnant women during late third trimester.Int J Reproduction Contraception Ostet Gynecol.2016;5(7). doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20162090Panesar K.Drug-induced urinary incontinence.US Pharm.2014;39(8):24-9.Markland AD, Tangpricha V, Mark Beasley T, et al.Comparing vitamin D supplementation versus placebo for urgency urinary incontinence: A pilot study.J Am Geriatr Soc.2019;67(3):570-5. doi:10.1111/jgs.15711Bower WF, Everaert K, Ong TJ, Ervin CF, Norgaard JP, Whishaw M.Questions to ask a patient with nocturia.Aust J Gen Pract. 2018;47(7):465-469. doi:10.31128/AJGP-01-18-4448Chung JH, Moon HS, Park SY, Kim KR, Cho SH, Kim YT.Effect of nocturnal hypoxia on nocturia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Int Neurourol J. 2019;23(2):161-168. doi:10.5213/inj.1938026.013University of Michigan.Neurogenic bladder.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Urinating more at night.Zagaria AE.Nocturia in older adults: Highlighting nocturnal polyuria.US Pharm. 2017;42(8):Epub.NHS (UK).Common health problems in pregnancy.Ghetti C, Lee M, Oliphant S, Okun M, Lowder JL.Sleep quality in women seeking care for pelvic organ prolapse.Maturitas. 2015;80(2):155-61. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.015Nigam A, Ahmad A, Gaur D, Elahi AA, Batra S.Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in pregnant women during late third trimester.Int J Reproduction Contraception Ostet Gynecol.2016;5(7). doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20162090Panesar K.Drug-induced urinary incontinence.US Pharm.2014;39(8):24-9.Markland AD, Tangpricha V, Mark Beasley T, et al.Comparing vitamin D supplementation versus placebo for urgency urinary incontinence: A pilot study.J Am Geriatr Soc.2019;67(3):570-5. doi:10.1111/jgs.15711Bower WF, Everaert K, Ong TJ, Ervin CF, Norgaard JP, Whishaw M.Questions to ask a patient with nocturia.Aust J Gen Pract. 2018;47(7):465-469. doi:10.31128/AJGP-01-18-4448Chung JH, Moon HS, Park SY, Kim KR, Cho SH, Kim YT.Effect of nocturnal hypoxia on nocturia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Int Neurourol J. 2019;23(2):161-168. doi:10.5213/inj.1938026.013University of Michigan.Neurogenic bladder.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Urinating more at night.Zagaria AE.Nocturia in older adults: Highlighting nocturnal polyuria.US Pharm. 2017;42(8):Epub.NHS (UK).Common health problems in pregnancy.Ghetti C, Lee M, Oliphant S, Okun M, Lowder JL.Sleep quality in women seeking care for pelvic organ prolapse.Maturitas. 2015;80(2):155-61. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.015Nigam A, Ahmad A, Gaur D, Elahi AA, Batra S.Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in pregnant women during late third trimester.Int J Reproduction Contraception Ostet Gynecol.2016;5(7). doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20162090Panesar K.Drug-induced urinary incontinence.US Pharm.2014;39(8):24-9.Markland AD, Tangpricha V, Mark Beasley T, et al.Comparing vitamin D supplementation versus placebo for urgency urinary incontinence: A pilot study.J Am Geriatr Soc.2019;67(3):570-5. doi:10.1111/jgs.15711Bower WF, Everaert K, Ong TJ, Ervin CF, Norgaard JP, Whishaw M.Questions to ask a patient with nocturia.Aust J Gen Pract. 2018;47(7):465-469. doi:10.31128/AJGP-01-18-4448Chung JH, Moon HS, Park SY, Kim KR, Cho SH, Kim YT.Effect of nocturnal hypoxia on nocturia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Int Neurourol J. 2019;23(2):161-168. doi:10.5213/inj.1938026.013University of Michigan.Neurogenic bladder.
MedlinePlus.Urinating more at night.
Zagaria AE.Nocturia in older adults: Highlighting nocturnal polyuria.US Pharm. 2017;42(8):Epub.
NHS (UK).Common health problems in pregnancy.
Ghetti C, Lee M, Oliphant S, Okun M, Lowder JL.Sleep quality in women seeking care for pelvic organ prolapse.Maturitas. 2015;80(2):155-61. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.015
Nigam A, Ahmad A, Gaur D, Elahi AA, Batra S.Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in pregnant women during late third trimester.Int J Reproduction Contraception Ostet Gynecol.2016;5(7). doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20162090
Panesar K.Drug-induced urinary incontinence.US Pharm.2014;39(8):24-9.
Markland AD, Tangpricha V, Mark Beasley T, et al.Comparing vitamin D supplementation versus placebo for urgency urinary incontinence: A pilot study.J Am Geriatr Soc.2019;67(3):570-5. doi:10.1111/jgs.15711
Bower WF, Everaert K, Ong TJ, Ervin CF, Norgaard JP, Whishaw M.Questions to ask a patient with nocturia.Aust J Gen Pract. 2018;47(7):465-469. doi:10.31128/AJGP-01-18-4448
Chung JH, Moon HS, Park SY, Kim KR, Cho SH, Kim YT.Effect of nocturnal hypoxia on nocturia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Int Neurourol J. 2019;23(2):161-168. doi:10.5213/inj.1938026.013
University of Michigan.Neurogenic bladder.
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