in this video we're going to cover what to do if you're waking up at night to pee a condition known as nocturia whether it's happening due to an underlying medical condition or something else it can leave you feeling tired because your regular sleep cycles being regularly disrupted in this video we're going to cover how common nocturia is symptoms causes diagnosis treatment and when you should see your doctor it's also important for me to mention that before we start this video whilst I'm registered as a licensed doctor in the UK this video should replace medical advice
from your own doctor because it's intended as a general medical education resource only so first of all how common is noctua well it's a common condition and it affects more than half of adults aged over 50 and it can affect both men and women it can also affect people who are younger than 50 in terms of the symptoms of nocturia well typically you should be able to sleep 6 to 8 hours during the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom but people who've got nocturia wake up more than once a night
night to pee now this can cause disruptions in your normal sleep cycle and leave you feeling tired with less energy during the day common symptoms include waking up twice or more at night to pee peeing more in volume and feeling tired and sleepy during the day because of an interrupted sleep cycle so now we've looked at symptoms what are the most common causes of nocturia well it's important to understand that there are anatomical differences between men and women that can contribute to waking up at night to pee so for example men have got a prostate
gland which can enlarge over time as they get older but women can have pelvic organ prolapse due to childbirth now both of these things can cause issues with waking up at night to pee now other common causes of nocera include drinking too much fluid before bedtime especially if you drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee medications that contain something called a diuretic now you might know these as water pills and these can cause your body to remove excess fluid and salt and this can make you pee more often at night other people have
got reduced bladder capacity meaning their bladders may not be fully filling or emptying when they pee things like a bladder obstruction swelling infection and pain in your bladder could also cause this to happen now for other people waking up at night to pee is a habit you may have unintentionally trained yourself to wake up and go to pee even though you don't have to or you might be waking up for an unrelated reason but go straight to the bathroom thinking you woke up to pee now in addition to these common causes certain health conditions can
also be an underlying Factor regarding waking up at night to go to the toilet first of all your body might be producing too much pee for your bladder to hold you may also have diabetes high blood pressure the prostate may be getting larger or you might have prostatic obstruction you might have heart disease prolapse of the organs in your pelvis following childbirth as well as pregnancy or menopause are common reasons for getting up at night to go to the toilet to weat so in terms of how nocera is diagnosed well to help your health healthare
provider diagnosed nocera it might be helpful to keep a diary of your nighttime bathroom trips and the factors surrounding each trip this could include things like how much you drank how often you went what time it was and how much you peed now knowing how much you pee can be really difficult to estimate but you could be able to purchase a urine catcher with measuring lines at your local pharmacy or your health provider may give you one to take home now your health provider will review The Diary in order to determine the possible causes and
treatment for nocturia and it's also Worth showing them a list of medications including what time you took the medicines at this is because fixing the issue might be as simple as something like switching your water tablet from taking it at night before you go to bed to the morning to prevent you from getting up going to the toilet in the middle of the night to we now I've also included a list of questions that your doctor might ask you in the description box of this video and it's worth spending a couple of minutes reviewing these
before your appointment so that you can make the most of it now depending on the underlying cause your doctor might organize some tests now these can include blood tests to check your kidney function Imaging tests on your bladder to see if it's filling or emptying properly and in some cases they might refer you to a specialist who may perform a cystoscopy which is where a small camera is passed into the bladder finally what are some treatment options for waking up at night to go to the toilet to eat well treating the underlying cause is typically
the thing that comes first so for example if you've got sleep apnea you might need to see a sleep Specialist or if your prostate is enlarged you might need medication or surgery to treat that condition now your healthcare provider May recommend certain Lifestyle Changes regardless of what's causing your peeing at night that's because small Lifestyle Changes tend to be low risk and they often go a long way in helping to reduce the number of trips that you're needing to make at night to the bathroom so first of all a common thing is to restrict fluids
in the evening especially things like caffeinated beverages so tea coffee as well as alcohol secondly as I've already mentioned taking diuretic or water medications in the morning or at least 6 hours before bedtime can help prevent you getting up at night to use the bathroom thirdly taking afternoon naps now naps allow your bloodstream to absorb liquid meaning that you'll be able to use the bathroom after a nap and this could reduce your trips to the bathroom at night fourthly elevating your legs whilst you're sitting at home this is going to help with fluid distribution fifthly
pelvic floor therapy so pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles can help and also wearing compression stockings which help with fluid distribution now medications are an additional treatment option that your health provider might consider and they're going to assess the precise cause before commencing you on a course of treatment and monitoring its effects and again the types of medicines are going to vary depending on the underlying cause finally when should you see your doctor about getting up at night to go to the toilet to P well nocturia is treatable it's not a condition
that you need to live with it's important that you speak Health provider if you find yourself waking up to pee more than once or twice per night regularly it might be a sign of something else going on and the frequent wakeups can leave you feeling exhausted remember they'll have dealt with this problem many times before and they'll be more than happy to help you I hope you found the video helpful and informative and if you would like to learn more please check out the link in the description box and if you found the video helpful
please do give it a thumbs up share it with a friend or loved one and please do leave any questions in the comment section below thanks for watching and until next time bye
